


Switched Powers

by RowanandKatrina



Series: Powers Saga [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different Powers, Bloodbending, Dragons, F/M, Post-Canon, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2012, Zutara Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:03:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7314496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanandKatrina/pseuds/RowanandKatrina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of merely injuring him, Azula's lightning renders Zuko paralyzed, beyond Katara's healing. Aang's solution? Switch their powers so that Zuko can use bloodbending on his own body.</p><p>However, the law of the Fire Nation says that the Firelord must be a firebender, leaving Zuko forced to hide his new abilities or give up the throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Promises

The Firelord needed three things: a strong mind, a strong body, and strong fire. Ozai's beliefs were twisted in a number of ways, but on this, Zuko agreed with him. If their nation's leader looked weak in any area, the nation looked weak as a whole. Weakness meant distrust in the monarchy. It meant panic and chaos. For everyone's benefit, the Firelord had to be strong.

_"When you were born, we weren't sure if you were a bender at all. You didn't have that spark in your eyes."_

Right now, Azula's mind was anything but strong. She screamed as she moved wildly through her stances. A river of blue fire directed itself at Zuko, but he saw it coming as clear as if Azula had announced her attacks. His arms moved, his body twisted like he was dancing alongside the ancient dragons once again. Heat and light curved around him, throwing themselves harmlessly into the ground. Then came time for the counterattack. When he called on the fire to appear, he could sense the comet's energy making it bigger, hotter, more dangerous. As a child, it was the kind of power he'd only dreamed of.

_"I planned to cast you from the palace. How embarrassing for a prince of the Fire Nation to have a nonbender as his firstborn!"_

For a brief moment, Zuko remembered his mother. What would she think of him, seeing him now? She always thought of him as determined. He wasn't so sure even she thought he could wield power like this. Mind, body, fire. Everything in balance.

That was, until, he saw Azula aiming at Katara.

_"Lucky for you, your mother and the Fire Sages pleaded with me to give you a chance. Azula, on the other hand, never needed that kind of luck. She was born lucky. You were lucky to be born."_

Zuko had done a lot of stupid things in his life. He would admit that to anyone. His father and uncle both chalked it up to his compulsive nature whenever he got too emotional. His father called it weakness, while Uncle Iroh called it strength. But whichever it was, Zuko knew one thing. In the middle of an agni kai with Azula was the worst time to get emotional.

He'd kept focused throughout most of the battle. He'd even goaded Azula to prepare a lightning strike against him, despite the fact that he was clearly in a defensive position, ready to direct it back at her. Then, her gaze shifted. The fear surged through him as he realized that Azula no longer aimed at him. His body had already started to react even before he turned to confirm it was Katara in danger.

The best solution would've been to try to push her out of the way. But she was so far behind him, and his hand was right there. If he reached out and touched the lightning, maybe he could move it away from her. Sure his position wasn't the best, but if he didn't try-

"No!" Zuko cried out. His fingers reached out and touched the white light headed straight for her. He wasn't ready. His stance was completely wrong. The lightning was supposed to feel like a stream of energy, flowing from one hand to the other. The second Azula's attack hit him, however, he felt the heat of it scatter into his body, breaking it like a fragile glass ball. Desperately, he moved his other hand, willing away whatever energy he could. A small amount seemed to obey him. But his arms didn't seem to listen the way he wanted, and rest of the energy wracked his body as he fell to the ground.

What frightened Zuko wasn't the fall, though. It was the fact that he could barely feel it. He rolled over purely from the momentum, and his arms fell uselessly to his sides.

 _Katara's still in danger,_ a voice screamed in his head. _I have to get up to help her._ But no matter how he struggled, he could only lift his head and flex his fingers. The rest of his body refused to obey.

Then the fear overpowered him again. This wasn't right. He should've been in terrible pain all over. But though his hands burned and his head felt like it could split it two, he felt nothing else. He should've been able to struggle to his feet, yet couldn't move. The lightning had done something to him. Not killed him. But broken him nonetheless.

Zuko heard the clash of Katara and Azula's battle, but struggled to follow it completely. The two warriors kept ducking in and out of sight. Katara had lured Azula over to a storm drain. A source of water. Maybe she could win after all.

 _Please let her do it,_ Zuko begged. _I can't defend her like this._ He winced, the fear spreading like a disease through his mind. _So help me, what's wrong with my body? I can't do anything!_

In his moment of panic, he was barely conscious of a voice calling out to him. "Zuko! Zuko, are you okay?"

He wanted to answer whoever was calling him. But at the same time, he felt so tired. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep.

\----

In the end, it was Katara who took down Azula, though Zuko didn't find out until later how she did it. He only knew that by the time it was over, his father had also been defeated and his friends were back at the Fire Nation palace, gathering around him.

"Zuko! Zuko, are you okay?" That was Katara's voice.

He gasped and coughed. His eyes focused a bit better. "I... I don't know," he said. "My body feels numb."

"That's because you got struck by lightning, you idiot!" Katara yelled. "What were you thinking? You can't redirect something that wasn't aimed at you!"

"I think I just saved your life," he said. "Azula would've burnt you to a crisp if I hadn't stepped in!"

"I could've defended myself just fine!"

Aang sighed and shook his head. Zuko could practically read the Avatar's thoughts: _Even with one of you flat on your back, you still fight like crazy._

"Guys, that's enough," Aang said, walking up to Katara's side. Always the peacemaker. He gave a brief (extremely brief) summary of his battle, mostly skipping to the part where he won. Katara's eyes widened at the news. Zuko felt himself struggling to express anything. The world still felt like it was spinning.

"Anyway, we've all been through a lot ," Aang said. "We should make sure the palace is secure. Can you stand, Zuko?"

Without waiting for a reply, Katara bent down and slung Zuko's right arm over her shoulder. He grunted angrily at the assistance, but the rest of his body leaned against her like a rag doll.

"Hey, I need some help," she said.

Zuko winced. "I-I don't think I can move."

"What are you talking about?" Katara gasped. "You told me you just felt numb."

"Yeah, as in I can't move!"

"Both of you, please!" Aang begged. "Lay him back down, Katara. If he's injured, we're just going to make it worse by moving him around."

"I know that," she said defensively.

She removed the sash around her waist, folding it up to make a pillow before letting Zuko lay down again. Then, she called forth the water from her side, letting it gather around her former enemy's neck, and back, and chest.

"Nothing broken," she said. "The lightning must've messed with your nerves, somehow."

She concentrated her power, willing the water to mend what was broken. But after sitting in her trance for several minutes, nothing seemed to change, and Katara's hands began to tremble with frustration.

Aang finally stopped her. "Katara, it's enough," he said. "You're going to hurt yourself doing that much. And I don't think the water is going to heal anymore."

Katara's eyes started to well up with tears. "But... he got injured because of me. I have to do something."

"You can stop crying all over me," Zuko muttered. No one listened to him.

"You did everything you could," Aang told her. "And besides, it'll heal on its own in a bit right?" Katara didn't answer. That worried him. "Right?"

Katara shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I've never dealt with this kind of injury before."

From her hunched over position in the corner, Azula began to giggle maniacally.

"Oh, this is a riot," she said. "Some ruler you'll be, big brother. Can't even get up on the throne, let alone firebend."

Zuko gritted his teeth. Apparently he could still firebend, at least a little bit, as sparks began to fly from his hand.

"Zuko, you've got to calm down," Aang said. "You'll injure yourself more." Even as he spoke, Aang suddenly realized that Zuko wasn't the only one he had to calm down. Katara practically looked like she was on fire too.

"You," she said through gritted teeth. "You say another word and I'll..."

Azula started to laugh, however her voice was quickly cut off. Her mouth closed seemingly against her will and she fell with her face down in the dirt.

Aang felt his blood run cold. Katara was controlling Azula, without a full moon. "Katara, stop! You'll hurt her!"

Azula gasped for breath, her lips starting to turn blue. Her eyes fluttered as she struggled to maintain consciousness.

"I said that's enough!" A blast of air flew in Katara's face, breaking her concentration. Azula took a huge gaps of air and passed out, the color returning to her lips, her breathing becoming normal.

Katara recoiled, as if unaware of what she'd just done. Her hands shook furiously. "Aang," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what was happening. I-"

"You wanted to kill her, and your body followed suit," Aang said. "That's obvious enough."

Katara hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry. She just got me so angry, and I- I snapped."

"Clearly," Zuko said. Finally everyone looked at him. "But my sister's got a point. How am I supposed to take over for my father when I'm like this? The position will fall back to Azula." Voicing the idea felt like a bitter taste in his mouth. Azula might've been the only person worse to rule than Ozai.

Toph, who'd been quiet the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Hey, maybe water sprite over here can fake it for you."

"Huh?"

"Y'know. She can use people like puppets anyway, so maybe she can fake that you're not injured until you get better."

"That's not funny, Toph!" Katara snapped.

For once, she and Zuko agreed. "Come up with a more practical solution, please."

Toph shrugged. She gave no indication she had been joking, but let the matter drop. The suggestion, however, seemed to give Katara an idea of her own.

"Wait a minute. Aang, how did you say you beat Ozai, again?"

"I... I took his power away from him," Aang replied. "Why?"

"So you can take away people's powers when you're in the Avatar state?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. It's not exactly something I've tried before now. Why?"

Katara bit her lip. "Could you switch two people's powers?"

It didn't take a genius to see where she was going. "Are you crazy?" Sokka asked.

"It's the only solution that makes sense," Katara said. "If Zuko could bloodbend, he could move on his own until his body heals itself."

"If I could bloodbend, I'd be a waterbender," Zuko said. They all just stared at him as if to say, "Yes, obviously." None of them had grown up in the Fire Nation. They didn't get how vital firebending was to the royal family. Zuko exhaled slowly. Strong mind, strong body, strong fire. He could only have two of those. So, which was worse? A weakness that was obvious to everyone or one that he might be able to hide?

"Let me rephrase that," he said. "If I give up my firebending and word got out about it, it'd be on level with giving up the crown. There's never been a Firelord who wasn't a firebender."

"Plus, I have no idea if I can even exchange powers or not," Aang said. "I agree with you, Zuko. It's a really bad idea. We'll find another way to help him."

"We don't have another way," Katara insisted. Zuko had never seen her so worked up about something before. She was extremely determined to go through with this.

"It's not permanent anyway," she said, turning to him. "Once you're healed, Aang can reverse our powers back again."

"I still don't know if I can actually do that," Aang said. "Why aren't you paying attention to me?"

"Listen, the Fire Nation needs a strong leader right now, and Zuko is that leader. If he's not established on the throne, everything will go into chaos."

No one could argue with her on that point. Aang sighed and shook his head.

"All right, look. I'll go into the Avatar state. And if... if it feels like I can exchange your powers without hurting either of you , I'll give it a try. But if I'm not completely positive I can do it, then it's no, and we're not discussing it anymore, understand?"

Katara nodded.

"Hey, wait a second!" Sokka snapped. "You're not actually thinking of going through with this, are you?"

"Don't I get any say in this?" Zuko yelled.

Katara put her hands on her hips, ignoring her brother completely. "Fine. What's your solution?"

Zuko stuttered. "I... that is... I don't know!" He grunted with frustration. "Fine," he said. "Try it then. Odds are it won't work, anyway."

Aang stretched his arms to try and relax, taking a step forward to Zuko and Katara. Sokka stepped in front of him.

"Aang, may I repeat my opinion that this is possibly the worst idea Katara has ever had and you're humoring it?!"

"It's not the worst idea," Aang said. "There was that time she decided to help flood a river and almost drowned a bunch of villagers because she was in love with Jet."

"Can we please not bring up my past stupidities?" Katara asked.

"Zuko's right too," Aang said. "If the Fire Nation can't put itself back together now, everything we did was pointless. We need to try." With no more discussion on it, Aang took a deep breath and placed one hand on Katara's forehead and the other on Zuko's.

"No promises," he reminded them.

Katara nodded. "Right," she whispered. "No promises." With that, Aang's arrow tattoos began to glow.


	2. Momentous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rough version of this chapter was originally inspired by the theme "Momentous" from Zutara week 2012. (2016 themes will come into play as the story progresses.)

Aang's eyes fluttered open. He tried to remember what happened in the past few moments. It felt like Appa had run headlong into him. He stared around him to try and orient himself, figure out what was going on. Zuko was lying on his back on the ground. That looked familiar enough. But now Katara was laying unconscious next to him.

"Aang, are you okay?" That was Sokka's voice. Dizzy and blurry-eyed, Aang turned in the direction of his friend's call and saw a fuzzy blue figure moving quickly his direction. "Are you okay?" the figure asked again.

"I-I think so," Aang answered slowly.

In response, something hit him sharply across the face. It felt like an open palm. "You said you weren't going to try it if you couldn't do it safely!" he yelled. "What did you do to my sister, Aang?"

"I..." Aang's vision finally started coming into focus. It was Sokka, all right. But Aang had never seen him so angry. His eyes were wet, his body shaking, his face red with anger.

"If you hurt her just to try and help Zuko-"

"Water boy, relax," Toph said calmly. She was kneeling on the ground, her fingers scraping the dirt. "I can feel their bodies moving. They're both okay. Or at least, they're both alive."

Sokka rushed to Katara's side. Delicately he lifted her head. "Katara!" he called "Katara!'" He looked helplessly in Aang's direction. "Why won't she wake up?"

Before Aang could respond, Sokka suddenly recoiled. "Ow," he said. Then, putting a hand to Katara's forehead, his eyes widened with fear.

"Aang, she's burning with a fever. What do we do?"

Next to them, Zuko began to stir, though he did not open his eyes. "What's happened?" he muttered.

"Aang was an idiot and tried to switch your powers," Sokka snapped at him. "And now my sister's got a fever like I've never felt before."

Before Zuko could reply, Katara's body jolted. Her eyes flew open for just a split second before closing again. They were a brilliant shade of amber.

"No... way..." Sokka whispered. "You actually did it?"

Zuko muttered something again. Sokka was tempted to ignore him, but then again, it might be important.

"What's that?"

"Fire," he repeated. "There's too much fire in her system. It can happen to a bender who's just discovered their powers. She needs to get it out."

Aang held Katara's shoulders. "Katara, listen to me," he said firmly. "I need you to firebend. Do you understand me?"

Her body continued to shake and her skin still felt wickedly hot.

"I-I can't..." she said. "It's too cold, I can't..."

"It's your fever," Aang said. "Come on, Katara. Try it." He held his hand forward, flexing his fingers, showing her how to do it.

Her eyes fluttered open again and slowly she reached her hand forward in the same motion. Her shaking fingers bent inward, and at first, nothing seemed to happen. Just as Aang thought she'd misunderstood and started to demonstrate again, a blast of fire flew from her hand. Sokka and Toph tumbled out of the way, and Aang nearly got his clothes singed.

Katara closed her eyes again, sweating and taking heavy breaths. Sokka reached over and felt her forehead again. "She's still warm," he said. "But it feels much better."

Next to her, Zuko coughed. Everyone turned around to notice for the first time that his eyes were open, and like Katara's, they had changed color as well.

"That was... some impressive bending," Zuko said.

"Well, yeah, it's your powers," Sokka retorted. He took a closer look at Zuko's face. "Okay, blue eyes on you look creepy."

"Interesting," Aang muttered. So it seemed that he had not only exchanged Zuko and Katara's bending abilities, he had transferred all their memories of moves and techniques as well. Which meant...

"Zuko, can you use bloodbending now?"

Zuko laughed, which caused him to cough again. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? Now that you've used your magic Avatar powers, executing an advanced waterbending technique should be no trouble at all for me."

Aang sighed, not exactly in the mood for Zuko's sarcasm. "Come on, just try it," he said. "I might not be as good as Katara, but I know a little bit. Your body is full of water. Concentrate on it and move it to your will."

Zuko sighed, but nevertheless, closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Katara's healing seemed to have at least given him some control over his hands. Aang watched anxiously as his fingers quivered and pinched together, like someone picking blades of grass. Then slowly, very slowly, he began to raise his arm a few inches off the ground.

"That's it, you're doing it!" Aang said excitedly. Zuko gritted his teeth and his arm fell down again.

"It's less difficult when you're quiet."

Aang lowered his head in a silent apology. He got overexcited, he couldn't help it. Zuko sighed, seeming to understand. "It feels like I'm trying to lift a lead weight," he said. "It's not like moving my muscles at all. It's completely foreign."

"Like learning how to see through earthbending," Toph said. "It took me a while, but once I got the hang of it, it's not even something I think about anymore. Like hearing or smelling--it just comes to me."

"Good for you," Zuko muttered. "That only took you how many years of practice? I've got to master this as soon as possible."

Toph grunted, blowing her bangs out of her face. They immediately fell back down again. "Well, when's the next full moon? You'll probably be a lot better then."

"The full moon passed a few days ago," Aang said. The group let out a collective groan. "But, no problem!" Aang said. "We'll just get the coronation going as quickly as possible! In the meantime, we've got to make sure the palace is secure."

"Easy enough with Azula out," Katara said.

"Says the person who can walk," Zuko muttered.

"Well," Aang said thoughtfully. "One of us can stay here with you while the rest go in."

The group paused and all eyes fell to one person. Sokka scowled.

"Me? Seriously? Why am I the one who always gets stuck with these things?"

\----

Mai hated her. Katara just knew it. She disliked the fact that Katara was in the palace to begin with. When she found out that Zuko had gotten hit with lightning trying to protect Katara, she'd upgraded that dislike to mild fury. Then, when she found out that Zuko's precious firebending skills were temporarily on loan to Katara, her expression read only one thing: ready to kill. And Katara couldn't think of a thing to say to make things any better. For now, she just watched her back whenever Mai was in the room.

"You're still stumbling," she heard Mai say in a scolding sort of voice.

Outside, the moon was high and all around the palace, crowds of people had gathered to watch Prince Zuko's coronation. The tension in the waiting room was unbearable. Zuko leaned on Mai's outstretched arm with both hands, taking one clumsy step after another. The idea was supposed to be that he and Mai would walk arm-in-arm down the coronation hall. To all the guests, it would probably look regal and elegant. Only the six of them would know the real reason. Unfortunately, Zuko wasn't terribly good at faking even a slow stroll.

"You think I'm trying to screw this up?" he asked. "This is supposed to be the most momentous occasion of my life. You think I want to spend it tripping over myself?"

Mai sighed. "Well, want to or not, you're going to look like a fool if you don't get it together."

Katara watched the two of them from across the room. Mai's words were harsh, but Katara didn't blame her. Both she and Zuko were exhausted and completely stressed out. They'd been practicing all with hardly any rest for two days straight and still Zuko's steps were clumsy and faltering at best. It was almost like he got worse the longer they tried.

"Um, if it helps," Katara said quietly. Mai shot her a look of pure hatred, but she didn't care. Mai couldn't offer advice, and she could. "Waterbending... it's a very free-flowing sort of thing. When I concentrate too hard, the water's movements get all jagged and less controlled." She stood and walked up to the two of them. "I know it's a huge day for you and this is hard, but I think if you relax, the bloodbending will come easier to you."

Zuko nodded. Even smiled at her. "Thank you, I'll try that."

"We should head out soon," Aang said, after peeking out behind the curtain for about the fifteenth time. "Now, you're totally sure that there's no coronation rule where you have to give some sort of grand firebending display or anything like that?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "For the final time, no," he replied as Mai pinned his hair. "And will you please stop checking out there? People have probably thought it's starting five times over already."

Aang lowered his head and walked a safe distance away from the curtain. "Sorry," he said. "I'm just excited. I've never even seen a coronation before, never mind being a part of one."

"Congratulations," Zuko muttered. Katara tried to smile at Aang's enthusiasm, but still found herself nervously smoothing the red silk dress that hugged her waist. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe they should've waited longer to have the coronation. But the quicker Zuko was established on the throne, the quicker the Fire Nation could start pulling itself back together. She had to keep that in mind.

Mai cleared her throat, looking sharply in Katara's direction. At first, she pretended not to notice. Mai coughed loudly, and finally Katara looked up. Mai nodded off to the side, motioning away from Zuko's earshot. Katara cocked her head in confusion, but followed along behind her nonetheless.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Fine," Mai said. "But I've been wondering. What exactly is your... relationship with Zuko?"

Katara blushed. "Relationship? None! What makes you think we've got a relationship?"

Mai raised her eyebrows like she didn't quite believe it. "Nothing," she said calmly. "I was just curious, is all."

"Why?" Katara bit her tongue. She had no reason to ask that question; this conversation was embarrassing enough at it was. "Erm, that is... I mean--"

"Why was I curious?" Mai's smile faded. "Because he used to be my boyfriend."

Outside, a blast of instruments silenced the crowd and saved Katara from any further humiliation.

"Okay, people, let's move it!" Sokka yelled. "We've got a coronation to start!" Mai immediately broke off the conversation with Katara and hurried to Zuko's side. Katara went and stood next to Aang, who had his hand ready on the curtain.

"It's time," he said to Zuko. "Are you ready?"

Zuko nodded and straightened up. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then he put one arm to the side and gripped Mai's arm with the other. Gently, he placed one foot in front of the other. His steps were better, but they weren't good either. _People are going to notice,_ Katara thought. _There's no way no one sees that._ Still, she couldn't do anything more than she had, so she stood to the side, ready to let the coronation proceed as it would. The moment Mai came past her, though, Katara felt an elbow jab into her side.

"Take his other arm," Mai hissed. Katara blinked, not sure if she heard right. Maybe Mai just wanted Katara in a good position to stab her.

"I don't know if I should..."

"Don't be an idiot. I can't do this alone. He needs you."

Katara nodded and without another word, she came up to Zuko's free arm and wrapped it around her own. He didn't object. In fact, she could've sworn she heard him breathe a sigh of relief. His pace became smooth, and the curtain parted before them. Katara tried her best to look as serious and regal as Mai did, but in truth, her heart pounded. Walking out in front of all those people, she never felt more nervous in her life. Still, she would be here for Zuko, whatever he needed. She felt sure of it.


	3. Zuko's Backup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally inspired by the "serendipity" theme for Zutara week 2012.

The coronation ceremony itself became mostly a blur. The crowd loomed before Zuko, a mass of faces from Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and even Water Tribe. He spoke to them as openly as he could, and shared with them his vision for a brighter future. Though, for the life of him, if someone would've asked him later what all he said, he wouldn't have been able to remember a word of it.

With the moon high in the sky, the coronation ended, and Zuko retired to the palace. Out in the garden, he found Iroh sipping a mug of tea.

"Congratulations, your highness," Iroh said with a chuckle. "Looks like all your dreams are finally falling into place, eh?"

Zuko leaned against the wall. After bloodbending his body all day, he wasn't sure how much more of it he could do. Especially without Mai and Katara, who'd both gone to their rooms for the night, he felt unsteady on his feet.

"You look tired," Iroh observed.

Zuko smiled. "Yeah, well, I'm still pretty weak," he said. "Azula hit me pretty hard."

"Yes, I know," Iroh said, setting the tea aside. He had a knowing look in his eye, like he was fully aware of everything his nephew was thinking and just playing a game trying to get him to drag it out.

"What was it you decided to do with her again?"

"She's imprisoned for now until the Avatar removes her powers," he said. "When we've tried to get near her, she's gone a bit ballistic."

"I see. Why don't you come sit next to me and rest?" It was a welcome invitation, and Zuko took him up on it, keeping one hand on the wall to steady himself. Sitting he could handle. His hand flicked and he lowered himself down, feeling the smooth stone wall against the back of his head and neck.

"Tell me again, exactly how she injured you?" Iroh said.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. So, it was going to be a game of twenty questions now? He was smarter than that, he wouldn't lose so easily. The less people knew about his condition, the safer everything was. "She shot me with lightning," he summarized.

"And you redirected it?"

"Sort of. I was caught off guard. I started to redirect it, but I wasn't completely successful. Katara... the Water Tribe girl, helped heal my wounds, but her abilities only work so well."

Iroh nodded. "That seems a valid explanation," he said, in a tone that indicated the complete opposite. "Well, then, I guess I should let our new Firelord get his rest, and I'll get back to my tea shop."

Zuko smiled. His uncle was probably still suspicious, no doubt there, but it was clear he had nothing but love and concern for Zuko. Couldn't hold anything against him for that.

Once Iroh was gone, Zuko sat resting for a while longer. He kept meaning to make his way back to his room, but the cool night air on his face felt so refreshing. Suddenly, though, he became aware of someone walking along the top of the stone wall behind him. He whirled around, trying to think of the best way to defend himself, when he saw Toph taking a seat on the wall's edge.

"Hey there, your majesty," she said.

He lowered his fists and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that."

"Aw, I'm sorry. Your Fire Nation capital is just so big and amazing, it's easy for a poor little Earth Kingdom girl like me to get lost." She leaned back and kicked her feet into the air. "Say, would you demonstrate some of that nifty firebending you people here do?" she asked.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. If she meant to mock him, but he didn't get the joke. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It was supposed to make a point," Toph said, slipping down from her perch on the wall. "The other option was to start earthbending in your face and see how you defended yourself, but I didn't think you'd appreciate that."

"Your concern for my well-being overwhelms me."

"Don't mention it. Look, you said yourself that if anyone finds out you can't firebend, you're off the throne, am I right?"

Zuko nodded.

"So, it's not too smart of you to go walking around with no way to firebend, is it? You need a back up. Someone who knows what's going on and can do it for you in a pinch."

"The only people who could fill that role are Aang and Katara," he said. "And the Avatar's a little bit busy… well, being the Avatar."

"Well, looks like you and Katara are going to be spending a lot of time together, then." She pulled herself back up onto the wall and started to walk back the way she'd come. "Oh, and for whatever it's worth, you _are_ walking better. Even if it doesn't feel like it."

#

Zuko did not take Toph's advice lightly. Mostly because he had no good argument against it. It had been almost a week since the coronation, and Katara had rarely left his side. Today, they sat down by the pond. The large tree at Zuko's back provided the perfect amount of shade, and Katara had suggested that the fresh air would do him some good. She'd been right. Zuko closed the scroll he'd been reading, set it down in the grass, and picked up a new one from the pile. It wasn't exciting work, he'd readily admit that. Still, he wished Katara wouldn't keep reminding him just how boring it was.

"Geez, don't you need a royal mental break or something?" she asked.

Zuko took a extra long pause before answering, just to annoy her. "The Fire Nation is vast and complicated. It's my job to know every detail about it. My father was twice my age when he took the throne."

"Yeah. And someone's totally going to stop you on the street and quiz you on," she looked over his shoulder, "the price of cabbages five years ago."

"I'm studying the fluctuating market prices of common goods."

Katara groaned and leaned back against the tree again. For at least five minutes, she didn't say anything. Then, she went at it again full force. "Seriously, just tell your uncle what's going on. Then you'll have a firebender to hang out with you who actually knows something about Fire Nation history."

Zuko's grip on the scroll tightened. If he could actually firebend right now, it probably would've gone up in flames. "I was hoping you'd understand walking up to my uncle and saying, 'Hey, could you follow me around just in case I have to firebend in front of anybody?' doesn't sit well with me."

_Not to mention telling him I've betrayed our country by giving up firebending._ He wasn't quite Katara would understand that part of his frustration at all. Still, she lowered her head, looking sorry that she had upset him, even if she didn't agree with his logic. "Okay, okay, you made your point," she muttered. Then she flicked her fingers in front of her, a small flame appearing in the air for a just a second. If Zuko hadn't been so irritated at her, he might've laughed. He'd done the exact same thing as a kid whenever he got bored with his mother's lessons.

Zuko went back to his scroll, though in truth, he had to admit the price of cabbages did not make for exciting reading. And Katara continued to entertain herself by tossing little flames into the air. It distracted him to no end, but he couldn't ask her to stop either. It brought back so many memories he didn't want to ignore just yet.

Just then, Katara brought one of her flames just a tad too close to the open jar of ink sitting in the grass by his feet. While this shouldn't have been a problem in theory, the liquid inside suddenly caught fire and an orange flame flickered inside the jar's rim. She yelped in surprise and scooted backward.

"What the-? Who filled the ink jars?" Zuko demanded.

"I think it was Sokka."

"Your brother can't tell the difference between ink and lamp oil?"

"Oh, excuse me if we aren't versed in Fire Nation menial labor!"

Zuko rolled his eyes and reached down to move the jar away from the dry grass, only to have Katara yank his hand back. "What are you doing? Don't burn yourself!"

He pulled his hand away from her, staring at his fingers. "It's… hot?" he asked quietly. _I was about to touch it, and I didn't notice anything._

"Yeah," she said back in a low monotone. "I could feel the heat just from when I was near it."

Zuko nodded. "I see." Then, still not wishing to see the grass burst into flames, he motioned at the pond. A ball of water floated out and positioned itself around the jar. Then he used the water to lift the jar and carry it over to the pond. The jar was impressively buoyant and when he sat it on the water's surface, it floated like a little glowing boat.

"Oh, wow," Katara breathed. "Zuko, that's actually really pretty."

Zuko watched as the little jar bobbed its way back and forth in the gentle water, carrying its golden flame with it. It did look kind of nice. Not that he was ever one for aesthetics.

"Hey, go ask a servant to bring us more ink, would you?"

She did and one of the maids came back with ten jars of it. Once he was sure they were alone again, Zuko lay each jar of the pond's surface, commanding the water to hold them in place while Katara set a small flame atop each one. Then, he moved the water currents to arrange the jars in all sorts of patterns - a swirl, a crescent, a teardrop. Katara kept making suggestions and he kept trying to meet each challenge. He barely noticed the sky above them turning to dusk or the first couple stars starting to come out. They had, quite by accident, discovered their own personal set of stars right on top of the pond. The pathetic thing was that while Katara stood there in wonder at the whole thing, all Zuko could think about was just how much he'd lost.


	4. Punishment

The day Azula's powers were removed was not a day that Zuko had any intention to miss, no matter how lousy he was feeling. Toph, Katara, and Sokka joined in his excitement, practically counting the minutes as they waited for Aang to arrive in the dungeon. Mai had refused to come herself. Although Azula deserved what she was getting, she agreed with that much, she had a difficult time watching her former friend suffer like she undoubtedly would. Zuko didn't blame her for sitting out. If he had ever gotten along with his sister at any point in his life, he might've felt some sympathy for her now. As it was, however, she drained out all of his sympathy a long, long time ago.

Aang's Avatar garb was similar to his usual monk robes, but finer material, embroidered with the symbols of all the four nations. He said it looked ridiculous and he liked his old clothes better.

"It makes the people feel united," Zuko had explained. "Just wear it. It's not hurting you or anything."

The group covered their faces to avoid breathing in the potent fumes that kept Azula subdued along with her chains. Her wild hair was matted up hopelessly as she leaned over, arms bound behind her back, sobbing and wailing. At least two days worth of food sat off to the side untouched.

"Azula," Zuko said in his most commanding voice. "Look up at me."

She did so. Her eyes were bloodshot, heavy with despair. Yet when they fell upon Zuko, they seemed filled with a new, manic energy.

"How…?" she gasped. "How are you walking?"

"By putting one foot in front of the other. I picked it up in toddlerhood. You know, that wonderful time of my life before you were born."

Toph and Sokka snorted behind him at this, but Katara elbowed him in the side and Aang gave him a condescending, "That's not what we're here for," sort of look. Azula didn't react to his mocking at all. Instead, she continued her intense stare, first at his feet, then on his face.

"I saw that Water Tribe brat try to heal you and fail. The girl who healed the Avatar from _my_ lightning strike couldn't help you. So how…?"

Now her gaze fell to Katara. Zuko felt a bead of sweat crawling down his face. For once in his life, he had been relieved to have his scar - unless someone stood reasonably close, spotting his blue eyes wasn't easy. Especially when he'd been going out of his way to avoid eye contact with anyone who didn't know his secret. Katara, on the other hand…

Zuko's hand flexed as he stepped between Azula and Katara. This didn't ease his nerves one bit. Azula examined his hand as much as she had his face.

"This conversation is over," he said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. "We've got other business here."

Azula smiled her usual cat-like grin. "Of course we do. So, Zuzu, what do you want with me?"

"You know very well what I want," he replied. "For crimes against the other three nations, your punishment has been decided. The Avatar will remove your firebending powers. After your time in prison is complete, you will be released and confined to a restricted area of the palace." He gritted his teeth. "It's more than you deserve, you should know that."

Azula laughed. "Why not execute me? Isn't that what you normally do with war prisoners?"

"Avatar Aang is in charge of keeping the peace between the Fire Nation and the other nations. Your punishment is his decision."

Another hideous laugh. "You're a coward, brother! You always were! You're too scared to get a little blood on your hands, so you're blaming the decision on the pacifist Avatar. I knew you were weak! I always knew it!"

Zuko held himself back from attacking her. His temptation was to fire blast her, but that wasn't going to end well, even if he could do it. He'd already decided how to deal with this. Best to let Aang go forward and not think about it anymore.

He unlocked the door to her cell. Aang stepped cautiously in, clearly ready to counter if she tried to breathe a blast of fire in his direction. She did no such thing, however, merely lowered her head back down and started sobbing.

"Please don't do this to me!" she begged. "I'd rather be executed than humiliated like this! Stop being so cowardly and just kill me!"

"You know I can't do that," Aang said calmly. "You'll find a way to live without your firebending. Start over--"

She sobbed louder. "Don't you understand? My firebending is all I have! If you take that away, what reason do I have to go on living?"

Zuko saw the hesitation in Aang first, he was sure of it, but Sokka got the words out before he did.

"Aang! Don't listen to her. She's just trying to mess with you! Take her bending away now!"

Aang's hand was shaking. Not a good sign. What was it he had said? That if he didn't have complete concentration, the energybending could go awry? He could injure both people involved. He'd been able to take the powers of Ozai against his will because of his own determination and strength. If Azula made him falter on those, then this could be a much more dangerous act than defeating her father.

Aang knelt down next to her. "Listen," he said calmly. "I'll do what I can, all right? I have to make sure you're not a threat to this nation anymore. If I can do that without removing your powers completely--"

"Aang, that's not what we discussed," Zuko said sharply. "Azula's dangerous. You have to remove them completely. "

"I had to do that for your father because of his authority," Aang said. "Azula doesn't have any authority here anymore. She's just a helpless prisoner."

Azula put on the most pathetic face she could, an act that irritated Zuko to no end.

"I was an exiled prince and look where I've gotten," Zuko argued. "If she even has an ounce of power, she's--"

"Your highness," Aang said, in a tone more serious and formal than Zuko could ever remember. "You said you were putting this decision on my shoulders. If you're taking that authority away from me, please tell me now. Otherwise, I have to act the way I feel is right."

Dang it, stupid Aang putting the ball in his court like that. He'd told his people he'd be trusting the Avatar. This was pretty early on in the game to go against that.

"Fine," he said. "Do what you think is best, Aang. But please remember what I told you."

Aang smiled childishly now, like a kid who'd just won a clean victory at Pai Sho.

"Thanks, Zuko." He walked up to Azula's side. She still crouched over, whimpering as tears streamed down her face. Aang closed his eyes, slipping into the Avatar state. Only this time, not only his tattoos glowed. His entire body gave off a soft bluish-white aura. Zuko remembered it vaguely. The state in which Aang would energybend.

Slowly, Aang reached down and touched Azula's forehead.


	5. Secrets Exposed

Zuko had several reasons to be irritated. First and foremost, against all his experience and arguments, Aang had decided to leave Azula with some of her firebending. Not much, he assured everyone, barely anything at all. Even the slightest sliver, Zuko thought, and she was just as dangerous as when she was at her full power.

The second reason was that Mai had really been giving him the cold shoulder lately. Not that he'd expected anything else, the way he'd avoided her and yet let Katara follow him everywhere. But he couldn't send her home, either. Her parents were fighting like crazy (mostly over whether Zuko was the rightful Firelord or not), and he couldn't ask her to go back into that, much less drag Tom-Tom into it. (The little guy had been staying with her in one of the palace guest rooms, and he caused impressively little destruction to the palace furniture.)

Mai assured him everything was fine, that she understood why he needed Katara and not her. Somehow that made the whole situation even more awkward.

And now, to top everything off, Iroh had been acting strange. There was no doubt about that. In his mind, Zuko liked to imagine that it was just his uncle being his usual oddball self, but somehow, he knew better. Iroh could tell he was hiding something and was going to be determined to find out what. Zuko just never imagined exactly how conniving his uncle could be when he put his mind to it.

"Ow!" There was a loud clang as something fell over. Iroh generally came in several times a week to let everyone try his latest recipes before he tried them on customers. (Zuko's attendants had mixed feelings about that.) Lately, it seemed, he'd been coming in every day.

Zuko turned to see what the crash was. His uncle knelt down on the ground, his teapot turned over with a dull green liquid spilled out over the carpet. The metal pot's base was bright red with heat, and Iroh grasped his hand, wincing as he bent over.

"Oo, my hand! My hand! That really hurts!"

Zuko grasped the throne's arm to steady himself for a moment before kneeling down next to his uncle.

"Let me see," he said with a sigh.

Iroh relinquished his grip and allowed Zuko to examine the injury. It wasn't pretty, already the skin was peeling away under the burn. It would probably get infected and scar if not dealt with quickly.

"Come on, Uncle Iroh, since when are you this clumsy?" Zuko muttered. He glanced over at the few attendants in the room and ordered them out. They bowed and slipped away silently. Except for one that Zuko ordered to bring him a bowl of cold water. The attendant obeyed, and then she too slipped out of sight.

"It must be my hands getting all old and shaky," Iroh theorized as he dipped his injured hands in the cold water, wincing again.

"Yeah right," Zuko muttered. He looked at the injury again. It wasn't going to get any better with just some cold water. It needed some serious healing. It needed...

Zuko scowled. He could've cared less that his attendants thought he was odd for keeping his distance from them. He could even tolerate Mai thinking he was a complete jerk. But to let his uncle, who'd always defended him, sustain an injury that he knew perfectly well how to heal? It wasn't an option.

"Uncle, hold still for a moment," he said, holding up Iroh's hand.

"What?" Iroh asked. "What are you planning to do?"

"Just be quiet for a minute," Zuko snapped. He raised his hand over the water. It felt much more familiar now than it did a few weeks ago when he'd first become a waterbender. It still wasn't as comfortable as the fire, it was harder to deal with, but nevertheless, he could manipulate it.

A blob of water rested over Iroh's burned hands. It emitted a soft blue glow, and the skin that had begun to blister became smooth and uninjured.

Iroh's eyes widened, but somehow the surprise in his voice sounded less than genuine. "Zuko! Where did you pick up this little trick?" he asked with a smug smile.

"Oh, don't start," Zuko muttered. "You knew something was up right from the beginning."

The smile on Iroh's face grew into a grin. "Well, the change in your eye color did give a bit of a hint. But you haven't explained what happened exactly."

Zuko pulled the water back into the dish. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll have time for it later."

The next voice that spoke was neither Iroh's nor his own, but it drove fear through his spine. "Oh, but come now, brother, we've got plenty of time now for you to explain."

Zuko whirled around. Apparently the attendants had not left him as alone as he thought. And now, standing in their midst, surrounded by a pack of guards, was Azula. Her face sneered in triumph as she turned to face the same crowd of palace staff.

"How did you get out on the dungeon?" Zuko demanded and he and Iroh quickly got to their feet. Azula ignored him.

"You see? It's just like I said. Zuko has betrayed the Fire Nation by taking on the powers of a waterbender!"

A murmur went over the group. Clearly some of them were more skeptical than others. This was good, Zuko thought. It meant that Azula had lured many of them here out of curiosity, and they might not be traitors if steered in the right direction.

"But how is that even possible?" one of the guards asked. "I've never heard of any bender changing powers."

Azula looked annoyed, but kept her cool. "The Avatar, of course. Don't you see? If he has the power to take away my father's bending, couldn't he have the power to change Zuko's?"

Iroh stood to speak. "May I ask you, Azula, even if what you say is possible, what reason you think the Avatar could possibly have for doing such a thing?"

Azula hesitated. Clearly, this wasn't going in the direction she'd hoped. Before she could come up with a good answer, Zuko heard a voice calling out from behind the crowd.

"That was me!"

The guards turned and made a path for the person who had spoken. Katara walked past them and into the room, standing next to Iroh.

"The waterbending you just saw wasn't Zuko. It was me. I've been... practicing an advanced technique that allows me to bend water from another room. I can see how this would cause some confusion." She made a polite bow to show her apology. Some impressive quick thinking on her part, Zuko observed. Katara had been present at the coronation. Everyone in the palace knew of her waterbending skills. She must've heard just enough to know she had to cover for him.

Even better, the crowd was now starting to turn on Azula, anger and shame written all over their faces. Zuko prepared to give a forgiving speech about how clever Azula's trickery could be, planning to be particularly harsh on whoever had been manipulated into letting Azula out of her cell. However, he had little time to compose. A line of fire flew straight toward himself, Katara, and Iroh.

At first, Zuko was unconcerned. His uncle could defend them perfectly fine. However, Katara reacted first. As the flames headed straight for her, she held out her arm, catching the fire and changing its course to slam its harmlessly into the wall. It didn't cause nearly so much damage as Zuko expected. A reflection perhaps, of Azula's weaker powers, though clearly, they weren't weakened enough.

Azula stood surprised at first, but then returned to her gleeful state. "A waterbender manipulating flames?" she asked. "That looks more like firebending to me. Also," she tossed her hair to the side, "I thought the benders of the Water Tribe had blue eyes, not the golden eyes of the Fire Nation?"

A flurry of murmurs arose from the group. Katara lowered her gaze, but given the fury with which she'd been staring at Azula only moments before, she didn't expect it to do any good. The damage was done.

"Clearly my brother has asked the Avatar to swap his powers with those of the Water Tribe girl," Azula went on. "An act of open defiance against our country. How can we trust someone like that to rule us?"

Zuko felt fear course through his veins as echoing voices floated through the crowd:

_"We can't trust him."_

_"How could he do this?"_

Zuko felt the shame of banishment creeping, surrounding him again, at the time when he should've been most able to stop it. Several of the guards quickly advanced. He motioned for the water he'd used to heal his uncle to come up next to him, while Katara and Iroh's hands glowed with orange flames.

Before anybody could act, however, a low vibration sounded throughout the room. Suddenly, several of the guards blocking the entrance way were thrown backwards as the ground beneath them jolted and curved.

"Thought it sounded like a scuffle up here," Toph's voice called out. She rushed into the room, followed by Aang, Mai, and Sokka. Then she turned to face Azula. "Didn't someone lock you up or something? You're really annoying." Even three more enemies in the room, however, did not throw off Azula's piercing grin. She flicked her fingers, just slightly, barely noticeable. The guards closest to Katara and Zuko moved in and made a grab for them. The guard aiming at Zuko quickly found himself knocked unconscious by a block of ice (previously Zuko's healing water) smacking him upside the head. The other guard did manage to get hold of Katara's arms, but it didn't last long.

"Use your feet!" Zuko called out to her. She reacted almost instantly. Straightening her constrained arms, Katara pushed her feet down as hard as she could, slamming onto the man's toes. She then twisted herself enough to create a small flame at the man's feet. He jumped back in surprise, loosening his grip enough for her to break free. With full use of her body, she sent a much larger flame in his direction and he staggered away, heading for the safety of the crowd. The floor rose up to block his escape.

"Oh, no, you don't," called out Toph. "You guys want to fight against your Firelord? Then you stand there and finish it."

The man staggered away from the jagged hunks of rock, stuttering, "H-he's an traitor! A true Firelord is a firebender!" Another hunk of rock burst from the floor and smacked his knees.

Azula was under attack now, too, with a blast of wind from Aang knocking her off her feet. Zuko readied himself to close in on her, even contemplating how capable he might be of bloodbending both her and himself at the same time.

Just then, he heard another whistle of wind. Only this didn't come from Aang - it came from a passing arrow. The point of the arrow pierced Zuko's robe, pulling his arm backward. At the same time, a second arrow came at him from the opposite side. He fell back against the wall that Toph had created as four more arrows flew. Each one pierced through his clothes, missing his limbs by a finger's width, and pinning him solidly to the makeshift wall.

 _Yuyan archers!_ Zuko realized. He could barely make out their forms in the shadows of the balcony above, but their handiwork was more than clear.

"Everyone freeze!" Azula ordered. "Unless you want to see the next arrow going through Zuzu's throat!"

All movement from Team Avatar ceased. Zuko gritted his teeth. No, this couldn't be happening. He was supposed to be able to hold his own, not be the weakling that Azula used to manipulate everyone. How could he let this happen?

Aang held up his hands. Toph scowled, refusing to display her surrender so openly, but she didn't earthbend, either. The guard she had terrified earlier regained his confidence, stepping forward and holding a dagger to Zuko's throat. Zuko gasped and tried to move, but the blade pressed stronger against his skin, and his arms were too weak to put up any resistance beyond that.

Katara, Mai, and Iroh now followed Aang's leave, and this time two guards came up to restrain each of them instead of one. Toph growled under her breath before following suit.

Azula, now back on her feet, scanned the room with a mad fury dancing in her eyes. "Where's the last one?" she demanded. The guards looked at each other in confusion.

"The boy from the Water Tribe! Where is he?" Azula demanded. Again, more blank stares. Somehow, with everyone focused on the benders, Sokka had managed to sneak out. Not bad.

"Find him! Search the palace!" Azula yelled. Three guards ran obediently off. Azula scoffed as they left. She knew better than to let a loose string like Sokka go, but she wasn't going to let it ruin her moment of victory either. She walked first up to Toph.

"I hear you made quite a mess of a Fire Nation airship. A _metal_ Fire Nation airship. That's a pretty neat trick. But don't worry. I'm making sure your prison is especially tailored."

She barely glanced at Katara. "Unfortunately for you, I know very well how to deal with firebenders. You'll be getting your own... private room." Katara scowled.

Next, Azula spoke to the guard restraining Zuko, who'd now been surrounded by several of his comrades. "Take my brother to the dungeon, and I want twice as many guards around him as everyone else. Keep anything away from him that has water, especially plants. He eats and drinks only when someone's restraining him, am I clear?"

"Yes, princess!" came the reply. Her eyes widened for a moment, hinting at the madness she was struggling to suppress.

"My brother has renounced his claim to the throne by giving up his firebending," she said with a frightening, forced smile. "My father also has no firebending. So _how_ should you be addressing me right now?"

The guards glanced at each other, and the first one quickly corrected himself, "Yes, Firelord! Our humblest apologies!"

Azula lowered her head and for a moment, she seemed to be muttering to herself. "So the throne isn't my destiny, mother? What do you think of me _now_?" She then jerked up and faced Aang.

"Now, you've got a bit of a dilemma. If you want any hope of keeping your friends breathing, you need to keep me happy. Do you know what keeps me happy, Avatar?"

Aang said nothing. He only glared at her, breaking her gaze once or twice to see if there was any weakness in the guard holding Zuko. But the blade was so close that even the slightest movement could mean a slice through Zuko's throat. Never mind the Yuyan archers still waiting above. Aang clearly wasn't willing to take that kind of risk.

"Look at me when I'm talking!" Azula yelled. She raised her hand and slapped Aang across the face. He winced, refusing to strike back, but didn't break his gaze with her again.

"I like control," Azula said. "And even I know that two usurpations so close to each other might cause some... unrest. Your job is going to be making my coronation a smooth one. Dealing with any... disturbances. Am I clear?"

Aang still remained silent at first, which only flared up Azula's temper again. "I said, am I clear?" she shouted.

"Yes," Aang said through gritted teeth. "You're perfectly clear." Grinning in victory, Azula motioned for the guard holding Zuko to carry out her orders and take him to the dungeon. Zuko hung his head in humiliation. His weakness had gotten them into this situation -- emotionally, he had not stood up to Aang and demanded to have all Azula's powers removed. Physically, he couldn't defend himself. He didn't need his father telling him how much of a failure he was now. That was clear all on its own.


	6. Escape from the Palace

Zuko swallowed, feeling the dry edges of his throat stick together. He couldn't remember being this thirsty, not since the time he'd struck out on his own, away from Iroh. Azula knew how to deal with firebenders for sure, but she seemed pretty adept at making a waterbender just as miserable. 

Zuko shifted his arms slightly, but with his hands chained and his body dehydrated, he could barely get any movement out of them. His mind was a blur, every time he tried to think of a way of escape, he came up empty. For all he could see, Azula had won. 

One of the four guards assigned to watch him turned around at the sound of the chains moving. He narrowed his eyes at his prisoner, looking like was about to shout something, when suddenly the man's face turned... well, a bit green. He raised his hand and wiped his forehead, which had started to sweat. Then he stumbled backwards, barely catching himself as he fell to the ground, out like a light. The other three barely had time to notice what was happening before they too fell victim to the same mysterious ailment. 

Zuko held his breath. Was there some sort of poison in the air? Where was it coming from? Why hadn't it affected him yet? 

Before he could come to any conclusions, however, Zuko heard the dungeon door slowly creak open and a light set of footsteps began to descend. A familiar figure rounded the corner. 

"Sokka!" Zuko exclaimed. Well, tried to exclaim, at any rate. He barely had a voice, and it came out as more of a hoarse whisper. Sokka shushed him anyway and walked up to the prison door, fumbling with a set of keys. 

"How did you...?" Zuko asked in shock, staring at the four unconscious guards on the floor. 

Sokka smirked, though not as much as he normally did when he was explaining how genius his plans were. "The thing is, Zuko, growing up in the Fire Nation, you don't learn as much about the natural world as the people of the Water Tribe. It's true, there are plants that make a great stink bomb. But there's also the varieties that can knock you right out if you eat it. I snuck some into the guards' lunch." 

"Not bad," Zuko muttered. 

"I snuck in to see Katara already," whispered Sokka. "I wanted to try and spring her out, but the lock was complicated, and..." He stopped and looked at the ground. "And she insisted on me getting you out first."

"What?" Zuko asked, blushing a bit. "Why?"

"Hey, don't get any weird ideas. Your life's in the most danger. If Azula kills Katara, she loses her bargaining chip with Aang. But if she kills you, she loses her only competition for the throne. Of course, if she kills Katara, I'll kill you, but you know..." His sentence trailed off as he began working on the chains on Zuko's wrists. 

"Hey, you have any advice for, like, using firebending to keep your body warm?"

Zuko strained to look Sokka in the face, but the odd angle made it difficult. "What do you mean?"

"They've got Katara in something like that cooler we saw at the Boiling Rock. She seemed okay when I talked to her, but later, when I overheard her talking to the guard, she sounded really quiet and weak. Like she was just putting on a brave front for me."

Sokka finally managed to release Zuko's arms and began working on his legs next. His tone was a forced calm – he wanted nothing more than to be with his sister, helping her. 

Zuko growled. "There's a technique she knows, but if she didn't start using it right away, it's not going to work now. Her bending will be gone for at least few days even if you got her out of there right this minute."

Sokka scowled as he freed Zuko's left leg and went for the right. "Guess even knowing all your techniques doesn't help her much if she doesn't realize when to use them," he said sharply. The last of the chains fell off and Zuko shakily got to his feet. He could feel the water beginning to circulate in his body, increasing his control. Sokka handed him a water skin, which he guzzled like a greedy child until there wasn't a drop left in it. 

"Come on," he said, wiping his mouth. "Let's go get her out." 

He started for the open prison door, but Sokka put out his hand to stop him. "No. You leave, and I'll get her out. The only reason I came here first was because she insisted. If you go with me, it kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"

He reached down on the floor and picked up something Zuko hadn't noticed before. Some pile of fabric that he shoved into Zuko's hands. 

"Here. It's an extra set of Water Tribe clothes. Katara thinks you'll be able to sneak around the capital easier if everyone thinks you're a representative from the South Pole."

As Zuko stared at the gift, trying to concoct some other reason for why he should stay, Sokka turned and headed back up the stairs. The heavy prison door closed behind him, but didn't lock. Standing alone in the silence, Zuko sighed and began changing. Maybe Sokka and Katara had a point. He had to find Azula's weakness to defeat her, and he couldn't do that from inside a dungeon. In fact, as he thought over exactly who might know Azula's weaknesses, his best bet for success lay a long way from here. 

Zuko crept up the stairs and slowly eased the door open. Azula had screwed up concentrating all his guards so close to him. Once outside the dungeon, sneaking out of the palace was quite literally child's play, something he'd mastered long ago. If he'd actually stayed in his room every time Ozai told him to when he was younger, he might've died of boredom. 

Outside it was already night. _Right_ , Zuko thought. _I should've guessed as much. I can't move nearly this well during the day._ Zuko continued to put as much distance between himself and the palace. He wasn't running, wasn't really sure he could run, but if he wanted to blend into the crowd, he couldn't look like he was in a hurry. No one seemed to think anything of him in the Water Tribe attire, but then, not many people had a huge scar covering half their face either. He had to stay cautious. 

Guilt ate away at Zuko as he kept moving. He couldn't really run away like this, could he? He had a duty to protect his country.  

 _Protect it how?_ another part of him wondered. _Azula's beaten me on every front._

"Hey, wait up!"

The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite believe it. Yet when he turned his head, there she was, hurrying in his direction. 

_Blast it, Katara, you're going to blow my cover,_ Zuko thought. But, no, Katara was more clever than that. She stood next to Zuko, but looked in the opposite direction. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew," she said to a tall guy standing nearby.

"Quite all right," the tall man muttered, and the crowd lost their interest in her, moving about their business. Katara winked at Zuko, as if to acknowledge that yes, she did realize how clever she was, and no, he didn't have to break his act to tell her so. 

Zuko rolled his eyes. He didn't plan to have anyone come along with him, let alone her. Still, it felt good to have a friend by his side.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked when they'd reached a more secluded area.

Katara's muscles tensed. "Sokka... got captured," she said. 

Zuko expected her to elaborate, but when no more details came, he broke eye contact with her and went back to focusing on making his feet move without tripping over them. "It... seems like you're feeling better," he said when the silence had gone on longer than even he cared for it to. "Sokka said you sounded wiped out." 

"Huh? Sokka overheard that?" Katara groaned and massaged her forehead. "Oh, no. I was hamming it up for the guard so Azula would think everything was working. I didn't mean for it to work on Sokka too." Her face suddenly took on a fierce look of determination. "All right, you'd better have a plan to get your sorry self back on that throne before my brother has a mental breakdown. Where are we headed?"

Zuko scoffed. It wasn't like it was _his_ fault that Sokka had misunderstood. And anyway, Azula was probably going to notice sooner rather than later that Katara's cell was empty. 

"For now, somewhere safe," he answered. It was the best response he could come up with. In truth, he had no clue where they should go right now, let alone how he would get himself back on the throne. 

_Do I even have any claim to the throne anymore?_ Zuko took a deep breath and tried not to think about the possibility. Strong mind, strong body, strong fire. But he had no fire. Even before Aang had switched their powers, the most he'd been able to make were a few sparks. _What claim do I have that my father and Azula don't?_

Zuko shuddered. He had to get his fire back. It was the only solution -- his only way to defeat Azula and the only way to win his people's loyalty again.


	7. Lost Hope

As they walked through the busy streets of the Fire Nation capital, Katara started to grow more and more concerned. There didn't seem to be any logic behind where Zuko was walking. She let him take the lead for a while, figuring he knew these streets far better than she did, but when he only seemed to be walking in a straight line without even glancing around for ten blocks, she felt some doubt creep into her mind.

"Hey, seriously," she whispered as low as she could. "Where exactly are we going?"

He didn't answer right away, which only made her more nervous. Then at last, he said, "Well, right now, I think our best bet is the harbor."

"The har-- what now?"

He started walking faster; his movements getting more frantic. "That spirit oasis you talked about... the one where you got that special water that could have healed my scar? That's in the Northern Water Tribe, right?"

Katara could see exactly where this conversation was going, and it turned her stomach. "I said it _might_ have been able to heal it. And, anyway, I know a lot more about healing now than I did then. I don't think it would have worked. The longer an injury goes without being tended to, the less effective healing will--"

"It's only been a week since Azula struck me, though. I think, if we hurry, I might be able to heal myself." His words were quick, forced out. He knew as well as she did that it would be a pointless venture. But there was fear in his voice, too. Fear that if he couldn't be healed, he had no hope. 

"Zuko," Katara said firmly. "Even on Appa, that trip would take a month. We've got a week, at best, before Azula announces she's taken over as Firelord. We need a plan to take her down now." 

"And if we defeat her, who becomes Firelord then?" Zuko snapped, barely keeping his voice down anymore. "The Firelord has to be a firebender, and the whole palace staff knows now that I'm not. Even if I ask Aang to switch our powers back..."

His voice cracked. This wasn't good. They couldn't make a scene here. Up ahead, Katara saw some sort of market; the mass of people nearly impossible to work through without being overheard. So instead of continuing down the street, she took Zuko's shaking hand and let him into a small alleyway. He leaned against the worn and chipped wall of the nearest building and buried his face in his hands. "No matter whose powers I have, I can't firebend. Azula's taken that from me." 

Her first instinct was to embrace him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. They weren't family, weren't in love, weren't even friends until a few months ago. No, it wouldn't be appropriate at all. Still, she wanted to comfort him somehow and tentatively put her arm around him, massaging his shoulder and she surveyed their surroundings. The tight alleyway was less than ideal; if anyone did want to corner them, this would be the perfect place to do it. But it left them alone. 

Zuko regained his composure and rubbed his arm across his eyes. "I'm sorry," was all he said. He didn't make any attempt to leave the alleyway. His posture-- the way he hung his head and let his arms fall to his sides-- looked hauntingly familiar. He'd given up. She'd seen it from so many people in her tribe during the war. She felt terrible for him. But at the same time, the thought of him quitting on her filled her with rage. The world needed him as Firelord. They'd fought too hard for him to quit. And as tacky as she knew it was, she had to find a way to give him hope again. 

Unfortunately, she didn't have much time for brainstorming. A set of footsteps approached them from down the alleyway.

\----

"Hello there, traitor." The voice sent chills down Zuko's spine. He hadn't even realized someone was approaching until the man's breath was at his neck. 

Katara impressively kept her wits about her and put on a convincing insulted face. 

"Excuse me?" she said, facing him with hands on her hips. "My friend Rokka here is just a representative from the Southern Water Tribe." Before she had the chance to move forward, however, another man darted into the alleyway from the main road and stood right at her back. Neither had drawn weapons, Zuko noted. Of course, if they were skilled firebenders, they hardly needed to. 

"Your sister's looking for you," the man next to Zuko whispered. "Now, if you'll just come quietly with us, this doesn't have to get ugly." 

_Right, because walking right into Azula's death trap isn't ugly._ He had a plan worked out in his head for how this would work. First, it was best to get their guards down by going along with them a little ways. Then he could find the perfect opening when their backs were turned, and...

...and Katara really didn't follow the same strategy. With a flick of her hand, she'd already thrown a small flame in their enemies' direction, causing them to jump back and ready themselves for a full-on battle. Katara readied a firebending stance herself, pausing just a moment to narrow her eyes at Zuko. 

"A little help would be nice," she said. 

_A little subtlety would've been nice, too._ Zuko said nothing and readied an attack position as well, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Katara glared at him like he was the stupidest person ever born. 

"You didn't bring any water with you?"

 _Flames, I'm an idiot._ "Hey, I'm not used to having to carry anything to use my bending, all right?" he snapped back. "I mean, can you imagine having to carry a torch with you everywhere or hope you get lucky enough to be standing near a lantern when you firebend? How stupid would that be?"

"Then find some water, you moron!"

Zuko looked desperately around him. At the end of the alleyway, he saw a small fountain. Perfect, he thought. Or rather, it would've been perfect if he could call the water from this far a distance. Cursing himself for his stupidity, Zuko ran towards the water source, with one of the men on his tail and the other fighting off Katara. 

Their enemies were both firebenders, for sure. Zuko could feel the hot flames barely missing the back of his head as he ran. His mind was a blur as he focused on nothing but getting within range of the water. At last, he reached out his hand and a large jet of water came towards him so fast, he had to sidestep it. It pummeled the guy chasing him and knocked him unconscious to the ground. An excellent start. He turned to see how Katara was faring and saw it wasn't nearly as well. 

The other firebender had Katara pinned to the ground, his hand inches from her face. She turned her head this way and that to avoid him, but getting out of his grip proved impossible. And no matter how fast Zuko ran, he could not get there fast enough. He watched in horror as the flames erupted from the man's fingertips, flowing onto Katara's exposed skin. Her scream pierced Zuko's ears. He felt a moment of fear, then his body was overcome with rage. He ran forward, barely aware of his own actions. The water from the nearby fountain leapt up and came alongside him, split, and hardened into a blade of ice in each hand. He thrust the weapons forward, catching the man off-guard.

Zuko's opponent jumped back, barely missing being wounded on the arm. Katara, still gasping in pain, had enough of her wits about her to roll away from danger. Covering the injured side of her face with one hand, she threw a line of fire in the man's direction. Now outnumbered, he threw up his hands in surrender and disappeared down the road. 

Zuko's first intuition was to follow him, hunt him down and make him pay for the pain he'd caused. Then he heard Katara's voice, quiet, whimpering. She knelt down on the road, clutching her face and leaning over. Zuko ran to her side. Even with her fingers hiding most of the injury, he could tell it was bad. Gingerly, he tried to pull her hand aside. 

"It... it hurts," Katara whispered. 

"I know," Zuko said. "I know, but I need to see it." 

Reluctantly, Katara moved her arm and Zuko saw her face in full view. Her right eye was swollen shut, the skin around it red and raw from the burn. The sight brought far too many memories to his mind. He heard his 13-year-old self crying for mercy and getting none of it. Instantly, the cold dagger in his hands melted into an orb of floating water. It rested on Katara's face and began to glow. Zuko concentrated all his energy into healing the injury. He could see the skin starting to heal, but only lightly. This wasn't working. Not as well as he needed it to. A bead of sweat dripped down Zuko's face as he concentrated harder. He had to heal her. He couldn't let it scar. Not Katara's beautiful face. He would restore it, even if it took hours, even if he had to spend all the energy he had.

\----

Katara had no clue how much time had passed when her eyes fluttered open. She tried to remember what had happened before she blacked out. Everything seemed unclear. She remembered a man recognizing Zuko, the fear that went through her. Then she remembered the same man attacking her. 

"Wha-?" She sat up quickly, expecting a jolting pain, since that was the last memory she had before she passed out. But surprisingly, the pain was not there. 

The room was barely lit. Katara stared around, trying to get her bearings. She was in a tent of some kind, a drab brown sort of fabric. Perhaps like something the water tribe hunters might construct on a trip, though of thinner material. The furnishings were minimal – some blankets and extra clothes in neat piles along the wall. A small chest used to carry stationary. A dimly lit lantern. A strange woman sat in the corner, dark hair braided down to her shoulders. She was scratching notes in a leather-bound journal, face shrouded from view. She paused when she noticed Katara stirring, not looking up. 

"You're awake," she rumbled. 

Katara rubbed her head. She touched the side of her face. Last she recalled, it was pretty nasty there. Now she just felt the lightest line of raised skin above her cheek. Had her injury been just a dream? It'd felt so real... 

"Who are—" she started to ask, until the woman but a finger to her mouth and made an abrupt "shush" motion and indicated to a bedroll beside her. Tucked snugly in the soft folds of fur, a young girl no older then four slept soundly. 

"Ren," the woman whispered. "My girl's Sien. You and your companion are safe here, for now."

Zuko. Katara's eyes widened searching the tent. Zuko was laying down on a single tan blanket. Katara almost called out his name, then she remembered they were supposed to be in hiding. She knelt down next to him and tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. She could see him breathing, but his body lay so still, and his skin looked unhealthy and pale. 

"Is he...?" Katara started to whisper harshly. 

"He'll live," the woman said in a hushed tone. "He just needs to rest a while." 

Almost on cue, Zuko made a soft moaning noise, as if to argue that he didn't have time to rest. This made the woman smirk a bit. She rose from her reading to gather an extra blanket and drape it on him. As Katara's eyes adjusted to the light, she was finally able to make out the woman's face. She looked older then them by a few years and had the complexion and eyes of a Fire Nation native. But what struck Katara most in that moment was the long, ragged, scar that ran diagonally across her face from forehead to jaw. 

Katara flinched at the startling sight, but stopped herself from averting her eyes. She never looked away from Zuko's face; why should this be any different? 

The woman tucked the blanket neatly around Zuko's shoulders, studying him a long while before speaking again. 

"That's an impressive scar." she murmured. She ran two fingers diagonally down her face, tracing the path of her own scar. "How did he get it?"

Katara swallowed. While she and Zuko had talked about fake names, they hadn't discussed what excuse Zuko would give for his scar. Katara didn't expect anyone to question it. Just some guy from the Southern Water Tribe who got on a firebender's bad side and paid for it. It wasn't like the firebenders had played nice with the Water Tribes these past few years. 

"A firebender did it," Katara whispered clumsily. "During a raid on his village." 

The woman nodded like she not only knew Katara was lying, but also like she knew the truth. "I've earned my fair share of scars. Most of them dodging fire. Strange, my first instinct has always been to shield my eyes when a blast gets too close." She held up her arms revealing a patchwork of faded brown marks. She put up her arms as if blocking an attack. "Like this."

"They attacked in his sleep," Katara said. 

The woman cocked her head to the side, as if looking for a way to contradict Katara's story. Her face started to look less kind now. "His family... I can't imagine how they must've felt after it happened." 

"I wouldn't know," Katara said, lying yet again. "We haven't been traveling together that long." This time, however, the woman didn't seem to notice her lie at all. She just stared at Zuko's face a moment longer then stood and looked across the tent to where the little girl was sleeping. 

"If anyone did that to my child," she said quietly. "I'd kill them." 

The voice sent chills down Katara's spine. She had no doubt that their hostess meant every word. She decided to refrain from any more talk that evening and get to sleep early. The sooner they got away from this woman, however kind her intentions, the safer the two of them would be.


	8. The Researcher

Katara woke up early the next morning to a child's face staring a few inches from hers.

"Wah!" She startled backwards. "What are you doing?"

"Momma tolds me to watch you while she was gone."

"Oh." Katara cleared her throat. So much for her plans to leave early. After the hospitality their hostess had showed, they couldn't just up and leave her daughter to fend for herself. Especially knowing what the woman would do to them should her little girl come to harm. "Did she say when she would be back?"

"Soon. She just went to get bek-fast." The little girl paused a moment to cast curious eyes on Zuko, who was still sleeping heavily.

"Is your boyfriend gonna be okay?"

"Boyfriend?" Katara choked. "Oh, no sweetie, we're not--he's not--I mean--" She cleared her throat again, quickly getting a hold of herself when she remembered she was talking to an innocent little girl who didn't know any better. "Your name's Sien, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sien. Do you have any water to drink?"

The little girl nodded, tiptoed to the far end of the tent, and began rummaging through her mother's things.

Katara, meanwhile, leaned over and nudged Zuko awake. To her great relief, he stirred right away. He still looked awful, pale and sleep-deprived, but it was a step above unconscious.

"What day is it?" Zuko asked, his voice groggy and unfocused.

"Huh?"

"The moon cycle... what day?"

Katara tried to remember what the sky had looked like before she fell asleep last night. Strange, without her waterbending, the movements of the moon weren't nearly as strong in her mind as they had been.

"It's been waning, I know that," she said. "It might be a new moon tonight."

"I thought so," Zuko mused. "It was so hard to heal you." He shakily stretched his hand towards her face. "And I still didn't get it right, did I?"

His arm started to fall, and Katara caught it. Zuko exhaled through his teeth with frustration. Then, with some effort, he lifted his hand again and turned her cheek so he could see the faint mark beneath her left eye.

"You're worried about that?" She brought her second hand up to support his wrist. "If I recall anything from that night, that firebender nearly burned half my face off. You healed all that." She smiled, gaze fixed on Zuko's bright blue eyes. They almost looked natural on him, after all the time they'd spent together. And he was staring at her with such intensity that she couldn't help but wonder if he thought the same about her.

She also realized she was basically still cradling Zuko's hand against her face and quickly lowered his arm to the ground.

"Well," she said, clearing her throat. "We'd better get moving." She leaned down and whispered so only Zuko could hear, "That woman Ren, the one who took us in? She seems nice and all, but I think she's a bit... unstable. We should leave right away."

"Um, yeah, about that," Zuko said. He spread his fingers apart, a shaky motion. "Unless that moon plans on re-appearing midday, I don't think I'm getting very far today."

Not good. They couldn't stay in one place too long or they'd get caught. Not to mention that Ren seriously creeped Katara out.

"I feel like I could waterbend perfectly fine," Zuko went on. "I just... can't get the bloodbending quite right."

Katara chewed her lip. "So, can you manage walking?"

Zuko laughed. "Katara, if I can stand on two feet today, I'll be impressed."

Just then Sien toddled back over, an enormous half-full water skin clutched clumsily in her arms.

She smiled at Zuko when she noticed he was awake.

"Morning, sleepy."

"Um... morning?" Zuko looked at Katara, who smiled sheepishly.

Just then, voices sounded outside, jolting everyone's attention to the closed tent flap. "No. I haven't seen anyone by that description."

Katara recognized Ren's deep voice. She was just outside the tent. A man spoke next, formal, authoritative. A palace guard! Katara swallowed hard. She looked to Zuko and he looked back. His skin was a shade paler.

What do we do now? She had no answer. If they tried to escape now, they'd be caught. If they stayed and Ren gave them up, they'd be caught.

The guard spoke. "We have reports that the fugitives were last spotted around here."

"Is that a fact?" Ren said. "Well, I'm no expert on security but seeing as how they're trying not to be caught wouldn't it make sense that they'd try hiding somewhere else, maybe somewhere away from the place where you spotted them?"

"I--well--" the guard faltered.

"Lady Azula ordered us to search everywhere," a different guard said. His voice was gruffer then the other man's. Katara felt a nervous flutter of recognition in her stomach. Was this the same man who attacked her? "Now if you'll stand aside..." he was saying, "we'd like to search your tent."

Katara was sweating now. Zuko, too. He looked like he was going to be sick. Slowly she inched her fingers along the blankets and found his hand. Zuko wouldn't feel her touch--at least, she didn't think he would. What little bloodbending he had must have given him some indication, though; he made a gesture and curled his fingers around hers.

Ren spoke, her voice calm and unwavering. "I'd rather you didn't. My daughter is still asleep."

"Sorry, ma'am. Orders." Outside heavy footfalls advanced a step, moving towards the tent.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," Ren's voice lowered, still calm, but with a very distinct note of danger. There was a flash of light outside the tent-fabric and the unmistakable crackle of flame. "You take one step into my tent and you'll be reporting back to Lady Azula in an urn."

She said it so easily that even the trained and armored guards took pause. Katara could hear one of them muttering.

"We're wasting time. The fugitives would have gone by now."

"But our orders--" Gruff-voice argued.

"Didn't say anything about getting into an Agni Kai with a crazy tourist. Let's go."

Footsteps sounded, heading away. Katara almost didn't believe it. The guards were actually leaving?

Outside the tent, Ren scoffed under her breath. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Sien stood, giving a stunned Zuko a mischievous little smile.

"Yay! Momma's back!"

The tent flap opened. Zuko watched as Sien sprang up and ran to hug a tall woman with braided hair and--was that a scar across her face?  
"Ah, you're awake. And how are we feeling today, young man?"

"Fine." He lied. He wasn't even sure why. Because he didn't want to end up on her wrong side, like the guards? Or was it because he didn't want to seem weak? Turned out his reason didn't even matter, the instant Ren got a good look at him.

"Really? Because you still look awful."

She set down her bag of groceries and, with Sien's eager help, began divvying out food. "Hopefully this will help."

Breakfast was warm rolls and honey, assorted fruit and tea (or in Sien's case, fresh milk) heated by firebending rather than a cook fire.

A simple, portable meal. In case the guards come back, some part of Zuko realized. Ren was brave, but she was clearly nobody's fool.

"Thank you," said Zuko, accepting a honey-roll and an apple from Sien. He looked to Ren. "And thank you, for earlier, with the guards. That took courage to face them like that."

"Pah." Ren looked up from her present task of slicing half a papaya into toddler-sized bites while simultaneously bolting down the second half. "Those ninnies wouldn't last five seconds in my line of work."

She turned to face Zuko, giving him his first real clear look at her jagged scar.

Zuko sucked in a breath, almost choking on his roll.

"That mark... it looks like a dragon claw!"

Ren gave a knowing smirk. "And what would a young man from the Water Tribe know about dragons?"

"Um... nothing! I mean... " Zuko fumbled for words trying to come up with a believable excuse and failing miserably. Katara looked like she was going to slap him, and she might very well have if he wasn't so weak already.

Ren watched their fumbling with amusement. "Relax, highness. If I wanted to turn you in I would have wasted all that energy making your guards wet themselves earlier."

"You--" Katara finally found her voice, be it a small shaky one. "You knew this whole time?"

Ren pulled an apple from the bag of fruit and began carefully pealing off the skin. "Not the whole time. The waterbending was a bit of a shock. But then I got a good look at your scar and I knew..." She went quiet a moment, concentrating on maneuvering her knife. She cut the apple into careful slices, setting them by Sien. "That injury wasn't an accident. You looked the attacker in the eye when it happened." She raised her chin to look at Zuko square in the face. "That takes grit. Almost as much as giving up your firebending." There was an odd pride in her voice. The dutiful kind, like a Fire Nation soldier had for their country and their Firelord. Only Ren wasn't a soldier. No more than he was Firelord.

"I'm not sure why or how you did it, mind," Ren said. "I'm guessing our Avatar had some part in it. Either way, you should know that as a Fire Nation citizen, I trust your judgment."

Zuko lowered his eyes. He didn't deserve her trust. Because what he had done, switching powers, he hadn't done out of bravery. After the generosity she had shown him, Ren deserved to know this. To know the sort of person she was willing to risk herself and her daughter to protect.

"I never wanted to give up my firebending. There wasn't any other choice--"

Zuko sensed sudden movement beside him as Katara leaned over to elbow him.

"So," she said, louder than necessary. "What brings you to the city, Ren?" She smiled a fake smile, sliding her gaze to Zuko at the same time. It was a warning stare. Katara's polite way of telling him to shut his trap already. Maybe he had been saying too much. Ren already knew who he was and that he was now a waterbender. She didn't need to know he was also a bloodbender, and that that bloodbending was the only thing keeping him moving.

Ren didn't see Katara's warning. Or maybe she did, and she was just pretending not to notice. Either way, she didn't comment. She just answered Katara's question in her same, casual manner.

"Supply run. I'm a dragon researcher, you see. I've spent the last year tracking one. A juvenile male. Poor thing was attacked by poachers a few days back and he's grounded up north a ways in the mountains. Only about a day's hike."

"A juvenile dragon? But I thought..." He faltered yet again. Zuko had thought there were only two dragons left in the world, both grown. The Masters Ran and Shaw who resided with the ancient Sun Warriors and had helped him rediscover the true meaning of firebending. Not that he could say this aloud. He and Aang had sworn not to tell anyone of their existence. Zuko cleared his throat and quickly covered with, "I thought they were all extinct."

"Not this one." Ren finished slicing her apple and popped several pieces in her mouth at once. "But you'll be able to see him for yourself."

"Wait, what?" Zuko stammered. Did Ren just imply what he thought she implied?

Ren was tidying the tent as she ate, bundling clothes and packing supplies with practiced efficiency. When she noticed the questioning look in Zuko's face, she smiled in an oddly unsettling way. Slow and unwavering, like Azula might.

"You heard right. You're coming with me."

Katara snorted with annoyance. Zuko could see the spark of temper flare in her amber eyes. She looked almost Fire Nation.

"Look we appreciate your hospitality, Ren, but in case you haven't noticed we sorta have a little situation to deal with in the palace."

Ren didn't falter. "And I've got an injured dragon who needs a skilled healer." She looked to Zuko, narrowing her eyes. "And considering Lady Azula will have me executed for hiding you, I'd say you owe me that much."

Katara opened her mouth, ready to counter. But Ren ignored her, focusing instead on her daughter who had taken to toasting pieces of her papaya with a small flame, instead of eating them. "Sien, stop broiling your food and eat it."

The little girl looked up ceasing her flame. Then she crossed her arms and glowered with a near-perfect imitation of her mother. "But I hate papaya!"

"Sien, this isn't a debate. Finish your food."

"No!" She balled her hands into fists and began to stop her feet. Zuko flinched. Growing up with Azula he knew the start of a nasty tantrum when he saw one.

Ren did too. Zuko could see the corner of Ren's mouth twitch. Amazingly, she didn't raise her voice. Instead, she drew a long breath and said sternly. "Finish your food... or no fire training."

The little girl paused mid-stamp, considering her mother's warning as she looked between Ren and the uneaten fruit. Then, after a considerable pause, Sien grabbed up the papaya and stuffed two big fistfuls in her mouth. She grimaced as she chewed and swallowed.

"I'm done. Can we do fire training now?"

"Okay," said Ren with a smug smile. "You can go and practice flame punches, carefully."

Sien was already moving. She burst from the tent as fast as her little toddler legs could carry her. A barrage of flame bursts and little girl war cries sounded seconds later.

Ren massaged between her eyes. "If you'll excuse me a moment, I need to go make sure my daughter doesn't set something important on fire. In the meantime, you should get yourselves ready. I want to leave my nightfall. Fewer patrols."

She started to leave, but paused at the tent flap. "What you said before about you not having a choice. That wasn't true. You always have a choice. I'll give you some time to think about this one, but I suggest you take me up on my offer. Otherwise... well, the city is crawling with guards, and I doubt you're in any position to run should word of your location 'happen' to reach them."

Zuko and Katara sat in silence for a long while, watching as little Sien blasted impressive fireballs and Ren deflected them in turn.

"Wow, you were right. She is crazy..." he mumbled.

"What are we going to do now?" Katara asked. The truth was, Zuko didn't entirely know himself. His friends were captured. His sister was close to taking over the Fire Nation. This wasn't the time for him to go gallivanting off into the wilderness with some crazy woman.

"Can't you just, I don't know, knock her out with lightning or something?" Zuko tried to toss up his hands to let out some frustration. Embarrassingly, he only managed to move one, in a sort of fish-flopping-out-of-water kind of way. Katara wasn't impressed. With his gesture or his suggestion.

"Really? You want me to electrocute a mom in front of her four-year-old? I've got an idea. How about you give her a heart attack with bloodbending?"

Zuko's cheeks heated. "Okay, point taken."

"We'll just have to sneak out somehow. Later when the sun goes down. You'll be able to walk then, right?"

"Should be, but--"

"But what?"

He looked at his hand, which was still flopped awkwardly to the side. "What if she's right, about the guards? If someone spots us, I don't think I'm going to be able to fight them off this time."

"Zuko," Katara's tone was serious. "Please tell me you're not seriously considering going with them are you? What about my brother, Aang, and Toph? We can't just leave them."

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. Not now. Not when there was so much pain in him. "If we try to go back now, we'll just get captured, and all the work your brother did to get us out will be for nothing."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Katara chewing her lip. He had a point, and she knew it.

"Our best bet for getting back in will be at the coronation when everyone is distracted. We can free Sokka and the others then."

Katara gave a small nod but it was an uneasy gesture. And there was a question in her eyes. Zuko already knew what she was going to ask before she cleared her throat and dropped her voice. "And what about Azula? How are we going to stop her?"

Zuko swallowed hard. "I'm... not sure we can."


	9. Back Then...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Day 3 of Zutara Week 2016: Memories

Ren spent the rest of the day packing up the tent for their trip. Katara offered to help a few times, but Ren insisted she "had a system" and didn't want them meddling in it. It left Katara more than a little frustrated to have a major crisis on their hands and not much she could immediately do about it. 

She could only imagine how much more intense Zuko's frustration must have been and tried to talk to him. The trouble was, now that they weren't actively running for their lives, she realized they didn't have a lot of topics to discuss. 

"Can't believe this scar gave me away again," Zuko was muttering, more or less to himself. The mention of his scar, though, brought a distant memory to the forefront of Katara's mind.

"Hey, remember that time we were in the crystal catacombs?" she asked. 

Zuko gave her an off look. "Yeah. I think your words to me were along the lines of, 'You're a terrible person. You know that?' Also something about me having hatred and violence in my blood and trying to destroy the world's last hope." 

"Okay, so I was irked at you," Katara said, face reddening. "But you didn't exactly prove me wrong afterwards."

"We're bringing that up now?" Zuko asked. "So when you say you forgive people in the Water Tribe, does that secretly mean you'll give them a couple months before rubbing their mistakes in their faces again?"

Katara flushed. A split second ago she'd felt guilty; now she just felt angry at him all over again. "Just because I forgive you doesn't mean I understand why you did it."

To her surprise, he had no reply at first. In fact, he seemed to fall into a deep contemplation, like it had never occurred to him to reflect on that day's actions before. "I did it because... because I wasn't ready to admit that my dad hated me."

\----

For a while Katara said nothing. _I'm such an idiot sometimes_ , Zuko told himself. He'd been lying here wishing he could have an actual conversation with her, preferably not about his psychotic sister or the questionably sane woman they'd be traveling with that evening. And then, when she actually tried to talk, he shut down the conversation. Idiot. 

"I remember," she said quietly. Zuko turned to listen. "Back then, you told me that you thought this scar marked you. But you never even told me how you got it." She reached out and stroked the side of his face. The left side of his face. He wanted to slap her away (he had enough energy for that, at least), just like he'd wanted to slap her the first time she laid a hand on his scar. 

"I have told you. I fought my dad in an Agni Kai. I lost. Badly. The end." 

Katara frowned. Almost pouted, actually. "You know everything about the worst day of my life," she said. "And you were with me when I finally made peace with it all. But then when I ask about your past, even mention it, you clam up."

"Sorry, I already had my making-peace ceremony," Zuko told her. "A shame you missed it. It would have really tugged at your heartstrings."

For this, Katara pushed him in the arm and he almost rolled onto his stomach. It was the kind of push that was meant to be playful, but had a knot of hurt feelings hidden behind it. Maybe he couldn't blame her for all those feelings. He'd gone to Sokka to find out what happened to her mother. She, out of respect for him, had never asked Iroh anything. 

Zuko closed his eyes and breathed deeply, willing himself to remember what he'd tried so hard to forget. Maybe it would be good to get it out to someone. Just this once. 

"It's weird the stuff that goes through you mind right before you face pain. I remember thinking, 'Keep your hands on the ground and your eyes on him. If you show him that you're refusing to fight out of respect, not fear, he'll forgive you.' But I never saw any forgiveness in his face. He'd disowned me the second I got on my knees. If I hadn't been so stupidly convinced he loved me, I would've fought back. I would've protected myself." 

Zuko swallowed. Here was the part he expected Katara to counter with some of her unwelcome words of wisdom. To tell him that he wasn't stupid, that trusting his father was the most natural thing in the world. That Ozai was all the more evil for betraying that trust. But she only sat and listened. So he continued. "I remember the pain overtaking me, but it never made me unconscious. I tried to will myself to pass out so it wouldn't hurt anymore. Then I heard someone at my side calling for me. I thought, 'It's my father, he's sorry for what he's done. He's tending to my injuries.' Only it was my uncle. I found out later that no one else called a doctor to look at the wound. Just him." 

At these memories, Zuko's eyes burned a bit and he feared for a second they might actually tear up. Thankfully, as he breathed deeply and closed his eyes, they felt dry. 

"I was in bed for a few days after it happened. Any movement, any touch felt like it sent flames through my body. I remember telling Uncle that... that I deserved it. That Father was right in his punishment."

"And what did Iroh say?" Katara asked, perfectly passive. 

Zuko tensed. "He yelled at me. He'd never yelled at me like that before, and he's never done it since. But he yelled at the top of his lungs that this wasn't my fault. He tried to get me to repeat it, but I wouldn't. I wasn't ready for that. Between accepting that my father never loved me and accepting I'd just really screwed up, one was easier than the other." 

He stared into Katara's deep golden eyes, waiting for an answer. But she kept silent. No pity in her eyes, but... some strange understanding. But her parents had both loved her. How could she understand?

"I didn't want to tell you any of that," he said, trying to sound gruff about it, but probably failing. "It was none of your business, anyway."

"I know," Katara said quietly. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Thank you for telling me anyway." 

Zuko scoffed, but he didn't pull his hand away. There were some things only an idiot would do. Pulling away from the first person to listen to his story, listen without judgment or pity, would be one of those idiotic things. And Zuko was no idiot.

\----

When evening came, Ren wasted little time in waking Zuko from a deep sleep to shoo him out of bed. Though the extra rest had helped him recover a bit of his physical stamina, his bloodbending still felt weak, leaving him shaky and uncoordinated. He wasn't surprised. If the full moon gave him strength, the new moon would naturally do the opposite. Not that he could explain this to Ren. Even if he could, he doubted it would make a difference. Ren didn't tolerate slacking, period. Shaky as he was, if Zuko could fold a blanket, or carry a bag, he was expected to do so without complaining.

Not even little Sien was exempt from chores, and to Zuko's embarrassment, she did them in half the time he took. 

"You're good at this; you must travel a lot," he said kindly as the little girl finished tucking the blankets he had folded into a toddler-sized knapsack. 

"Uh-huh. Since I was little."

Watching her heft up her backpack, Zuko couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the little girl. When he was her age, his days had been filled with family vacations to Ember island or romping about in the palace gardens playing hide-and-explode with cousin Lu Ten—not being forced to hike up mountains in search of dangerous predators. Seriously, what was Ren thinking dragging a child into her insane dragon-tracking quest? He didn't have the nerve to ask her. 

Frustrations aside, traveling with Ren did have one advantage. Being as well traveled as she was, Ren knew all the shortcuts through the city, specifically the ones that guards rarely patrolled. By midnight they had even traveled far enough off the beaten trail to set up camp and have an actual cook fire. While Ren and Sien set up their tent, Zuko helped Katara boil the potatoes and carrots Ren had bought in town along with wild mushrooms and greens the woman had gathered during their hike. Well, really he just sort of stirred the pot occasionally while Katara manipulated the flames underneath to get the right temperature. Later, after the four of them had feasted and Sien was sound asleep, Ren made tea and the three of them talked quietly around the dying embers. 

"So, what made you decide to study dragons? I mean, most people still believe they're extinct." Katara noted. Exhaustion had given her voice a bit of a demeaning undertone. Katara still wasn't thrilled with Zuko's decision to go on this little venture, and she was even less thrilled now, seeing how utterly aggravating Ren was to travel with. Not that Ren gave a viper-rat's patootee what Katara, or anyone for that matter, thought of her. 

She snorted at Katara's question. "That's because most people are idiots. Dragons were the first true firebenders. It was their ancestors that gave mankind, gave _us_ , the gift of fire. I knew any animal clever enough to survive that long wasn't going to just sit by while their entire species got wiped out. Some had to be alive, living in secret. I've made it my life's work to find them and learn everything I can. The better I understand them, the better chances I'll have of keeping them safe so they can bring more little dragons into the world. " She clenched her fists. "I was almost too late this last time. No offense, highness, but your great-grandfather was a stupid fool for starting that dragon-hunting tradition." 

_I wish she'd stop calling me that._

Zuko opened his mouth, ready to say as much, but then closed it again. Aside from the "highness" title, everything she'd said was right on target. "I agree. Which is why I was going to pass a law banning it." 

"Oh, really? And what good will that do, exactly?" Ren arched one eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong; it's a noble gesture. But do you really think a bit of paper and ink is going to stop trained hunters from trying to do what they do best?" 

Zuko flinched. There was blunt truth in her words. The proof was written in all the Fire Nation history books. Starting a war was easy. Ending one, on the other hand...

Zuko fought to think. "A sanctuary, then. Somewhere safe that the dragons can live and raise their hatchlings."

Ren sipped her tea, actually considering this idea. "Might work, I suppose. If you can actually convince the dragons to nest there. But what's to stop the poachers from sneaking in and stealing the eggs while the mother is off hunting?" 

Zuko didn't have a good answer for that. Or to any of this, really. So much had gone wrong these past few weeks... the plight of the dragons hadn't exactly been on the top of his list of priorities. But maybe that was his mistake. If (and it was a big "if") he could somehow defeat Azula and re-establish himself as Firelord. Maybe then he could look into the matter more seriously. For now, well... now it was time to get some sleep.


	10. Heat and Life

Packing up was easier the next morning. Partially because Zuko and Katara knew what to expect and also because Zuko's bloodbending was much improved now that the moon was coming out again. They were fed and on the trail in half the time, which, in turn, put Ren in a better mood. Though she was still moving at her own casual-yet-blistering speed, she spent less of that time hollering at them to "stop dragging your feet, slackers" or pointing out that "my four-year-old hikes faster than you" and more time actually talking with them. When they could find the breath to spare, that is. 

"So, this dragon," Zuko puffed, trying to keep his mind off how very steep the hill they were climbing was. "What's he like?"

Ren actually smiled. "His name is Druk," she said as she crested the hill yards ahead of them. "And he's actually a real sweetheart... if you earn his trust."

" _If_?" Katara reached the top next, bending down to steady her hands on her knees. She had tried asking Ren to slow down (thrice, actually), but every time she'd gotten a few words into the request, Zuko had picked up his pace and talked over her. Call it pride. Or stubbornness. Or foolishness. He didn't care. He was moving on his own, and he was determined to keep it that way. 

"That's right, if," said Ren. "So I suggest you be polite." 

"Polite. Sure, no problem," wheezed Zuko. How did one behave politely to a dragon, exactly? He was slick with sweat from all the bending, but he kept his face impassive, his breathing steady. Katara made a nervous face and quickly changed topics to one less ominous. 

"So, what's the name 'Druk' mean?" she asked, "Is there some special Fire Nation meaning behind that?" She staggered and nearly tripped when Sien scampered past her with a burst of four-year-old energy. 

"I win!" she yelled, stretching her arms over her head in victory as she bolted past her mom. Ren shook her head in wonder, and then replied. "No, nothing special behind the name. Except that 'Druk' is how Sien says 'dragon'."

Sien trotted back to her mom, this time circling her and cheering, "Yup! We go to see the 'druk! Right, mommy?"

"That's right, baby girl." 

Katara smiled, but at that moment, Zuko caught his foot on an unseen rock. He stumbled and had to lean his entire weight against Katara to catch himself. She actually almost went down with him, only avoiding a fall by bracing herself with an earthbender-like stance. Apparently she had been paying closer attention than he thought when Toph and Aang were going back and forth at each other with rocks. 

"Sorry," Zuko muttered. He could hear the fatigue in his own voice. Mentally and physically, he didn't think he could do this much longer. And, judging from the way Katara was staggering, neither could she. Still Ren pushed them on. Up hills, across streams, and through underbrush, her deep voice urging them like the bellow of a war horn. 

By midday, even little Sien was getting fed up with walking. But rather than pause like a sane person would, Ren hefted the little girl onto her shoulders and charged on. It was about then that Zuko began to realize that this was more than just Ren testing limits. She was worried. Ren had said Druk was injured the last time she had seen him. She hadn't mentioned how badly. 

It was another hour before the extra weight of Sien finally took its toll and Ren was forced to slow. "Time for a break," she suddenly announced. 

Zuko didn't need to be told twice. He sank to the ground, letting his back rest against a giant boulder. Katara lay flat in the grass beside him. Sien, it seemed, had ample energy thanks to her piggy-back ride, and she used it to jump from one rock to another, a decent distance from the group, but still well within her protective mother's line of sight. 

"So tell me," Ren said, pulling out a water skin and taking a long drink. "All those promises you were making... how do you plan to keep them if you're running away from the palace?"

Anger and humiliation surged through Zuko at the question, even more so when he couldn't vent it with a good, strong fireball to the nearest rock. "I wasn't running! I mean... it's complicated, okay?" he snapped. "I can't exactly be the Firelord if I can't firebend, now can I?" He expected this to end the conversation pretty quickly, but Ren just waved him off. 

"Bah," she spat. "A pointless law, if you ask me. You know how the Fire Sages used to select the Firelord?" Zuko was about to answer that yes, he did know, but she cut him off before he got that far. "Same way the ancient Sun Warriors chose their chief. The dragons." 

"You've... heard of the Sun Warriors?" Zuko asked cautiously. Ever since he and Aang had met those amazing people, Zuko had been dying to learn more about their culture. But few people outside the sages and Fire Nation history students were aware they'd ever existed at all. 

"Heard of them?" Ren barked out a laugh. "I've met them." She tugged at the small chain around her neck, pulling a pendant out of the folds of her shirt and into clear view. It was a betrothal necklace. The Fire Nation had its own version of the Water Tribe custom. Usually it was a ruby--for poorer families, a bronze pendant of the Fire Nation insignia--on a long, thin chain. This necklace held a miniature sunstone at the end. Zuko gasped at the sight of it, and a knowing smile came over Ren's face. "You might even say I have an intimate knowledge of them," she added quietly.

"So... Sien's father?" Katara asked. 

Ren nodded slowly, and Zuko could see her eyes redden as she fought back sudden tears. "His name was Stormrider. When I found the tribe and explained my interest in learning about dragons, he was the first to volunteer to help me. You could say he was a bit of a rebel." The tears welled up in her eyes now, though they did not fall. 

"What... happened to him?" Katara whispered. 

Ren wiped away the tears and composed herself. But instead of answering Katara, she turned her attention to Zuko, as if he'd been the one to ask her. "You've met the Sun Warriors. They aren't exactly fond of anything... or anyone breaking their traditions. Rider and I both knew this from the start, but... sometimes you can't help who you love, even if you know it isn't right." 

For some reason he couldn't explain, Zuko found his gaze shifting to Katara. Heat flooded his face when he realized she was watching him back. The two of them quickly broke eye contact and focused on Ren and her story. 

"When the elders found out about us, they declared Rider a traitor and demanded his blood and mine be sacrificed to the masters in atonement. We were bound back to back on the platform to insure no chance of escape when the ceremony began. But Rider somehow managed to hide a dagger under his shirt. He cut my bonds first... shoved me out of the way just as the masters emerged..."

Zuko nodded. There was no reason to force her to finish. "The masters... they killed him."

For a long while, Ren said nothing else, just stared over swaying grasses as she kept a watchful eye on her daughter. "He was the only man I ever loved," she said softly. "And he died because he had dared to love me back. I'll admit, at that moment there was a part of me that wanted to die, too. But then I looked down and saw his tribe cheering. The tribe who had raised him to honor the life and energy of the sacred fire... cared more about their traditions than the life and fire of their own people. Something in me snapped. That's when I stood and turned my fury on his killers."

Katara covered her mouth. Zuko gasped. "You defeated the masters?" he asked. "With your bare hands? 

"Defeated?" Ren laughed. "Are you kidding? It was me versus two _dragons_."

"Then..." Katara asked, apparently trying to phrase her question as something other than, "how are you alive?"

"How did you escape?" she finally said. 

"I gave them everything I had in that fight. All my knowledge of dragon movements, every firebending technique I ever learned fueled with all my rage. But in the end, it wasn't enough." Ren raised a hand and gently traced the path of the scar across her face. "I was badly injured and exhausted but even then, even when I knew my time had come, I didn't look away. I wouldn't give the masters or the Sun Warriors the satisfaction of breaking me. I think the masters knew this too. Because instead of killing me... they gave me their gift of fire. There were so many colors... I've never seen anything like it." She stared off for a moment, her eyes distant, as if trying to recall the memory. Then, Sien's laughter echoed out, and Ren's focus returned in a blink. "The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a Sun Warrior hut. The masters had chosen me, they said, and according to their sacred laws, I was free to go. I've never gone back. Not even after Sien was born."

Some yards away, Sien tripped and toppled over, prompting Ren to rise. But the little girl didn't cry. She shook her head and was up again. Ren sighed and sat back down. "Many people think I'm crazy, bringing Sien on these trips. And maybe I am. But dragons brought her father and me together. Being near them... makes me feel close to him. And I hope that someday, when she's old enough to understand, they'll help her feel close to him, too."

The silence that followed the end of her story was painful. There were so many things Zuko thought of to say, felt like he _should_ say, but none of them came to his lips. From the look on Katara's face, he guessed she felt the same way. "Why tell us all this?" he finally asked. "Aren't you sworn to secrecy?"

"Aren't you?" she countered. "Your girlfriend seemed to know who the Sun Warriors are. Was she there when the masters gifted you their fire?"

"How did--?" Zuko felt himself quickly turning from sympathy to irritation. The level to which this woman was able to read into him was nothing short of infuriating. 

Ren laughed again. "How did I know they chose you? It's pretty obvious. You're still alive." She paused, her eyes growing thoughtful. "And you have that spark inside you, that inner fire. The masters can sense this in people. It's that fire that determines whether or not you are worthy of their gift."

"An inner fire, huh?" Zuko lowered his eyes. "Sorry. I guess I just don't see how that's possible--"

"--because you're not a firebender anymore?" Ren finished his sentence almost word for word. There was no sympathy in her voice. In fact, she looked like she had half a mind to stand up and smack him. 

"Inner fire is something you're born with. It's part of who you are." She gestured aside to where Katara was sitting. "I know you may not believe me right now, but I saw that fire in your eyes when you were healing Katara." 

Zuko swallowed, glancing at Katara. His gaze fell on the faded scar under her eye. Katara noticed this too, and she smiled weakly, then turned away. 

What if Ren was right? 

He looked towards the sky; the sun was high above them, and by all accounts, his waterbending should have been at its weakest. Yet he felt a strange energy invigorating him, almost as if the sun was urging him on.

"Well, time to keep moving," Ren announced, standing up. "Sien!" Her voice echoed over the rocks. "Get yourself over here! We're leaving!" 

Sien looked up and waved to acknowledge she'd heard her mother, but kept up her game of jumping from one rock to another as she made her way back to the group. 

Katara groaned a bit at the thought of moving, but Zuko kept watching the sky. Maybe the bending switch wasn't so simple; maybe there was some fire in him yet. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, remembering that moment the dragons' fire had swirled around him. Fire was more than destruction. It was heat. It was life. With considerable more ease than he'd shown up the mountain, Zuko got to his feet. He still took Katara's offered hand to steady himself; he wasn't an idiot. But he found his body filled with a renewed energy that he hadn't had since his Agni Kai.


	11. The Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus! Our theme this week: dragons!

"Sien, stay close now," Ren warned a few hours later. The foliage was getting thicker by the moment and Katara could see they were approaching another rise in the rock. Sien slowed by a pace, but still insisted on taking shortcuts through shrubs and over rocks to get herself ahead, rather then trudge along with the adults. 

Ren looked over her shoulder. "That goes for you two, as well. His nest is just over the hill--" 

A blast of fire erupted from behind the hill, causing Sien to scream. She had enough distance that Katara could tell she was only frightened, not injured. But seeing as how peaceful hilltops didn't tend to spit fire at random, Katara's heart seized when she realized what was waiting for them. 

Ren sprinted forward, pulling her daughter behind her. She readied her hands in a fighting position and sure enough, another blast of fire appeared. Only this time, Katara got a flash of crimson scales and white teeth. 

"Someone's very angry..." Ren mumbled under her breath. "He must be in a lot of pain..." 

Sien clutched her tightly, reluctant to let go even as Ren pulled her gently away. "Sien, stay with Katara. I'll signal when it's safe."

"Wait! You can't seriously be thinking about going--" Katara blurted. But it was too late. Ren was already gone, stepping through ferns as confident as a jungle cat. 

Katara pressed after her, Sien at her heels, Zuko bringing up the rear. She didn't have much choice, really. This was why they had come, after all. And still, part of her was afraid to approach any closer. What if something went wrong? She may have had Zuko's knowledge of firebending, but was she really strong enough to defend them against a dragon?

They emerged from the undergrowth and found the hilltop descended into a clearing, surrounded by sheer cliffs on three sides. Below them, Ren had shed her gear and was stalking around a jagged hole in one of the cliffs. She dodged aside, narrowly avoiding a third jet of fire. From the darkness, a pair of yellow eyes flashed angrily. 

Katara squatted down trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She had full intentions of staying there too, until she was bumped by Sien and the two of them skidded down the incline together, followed quickly by Zuko. They landed in a pile and Katara groaned under the weight as Sien tried to squiggle her way free. 

"Sorry again," mumbled Zuko. 

All three of them froze when a streak of crimson erupted from the jagged hole, hissing and writhing. Ren dodged again, rolling to avoid the swipe of a clawed forepaw aimed at her head. The movement put Druk off balance, forcing him to flap his wings for support. But one wing didn't unfold entirely and he crashed to his side, shrieking.

Pain drove up his fury even more. He struggled back to his feet and shot fire at Ren. She was too close to dodge, so she assumed a battle stance and redirected instead, pushing away the swirling flames with skill. Druk roared. It was like nothing Katara had ever heard, and she flinched as she helped Zuko to his feet. Some distance away she thought she heard Ren comment, "Yell all you like. I'm not leaving." 

Druk spat flame after flame at her, and Ren brushed aside each one until she was within snapping distance of his jaws. He tried once; Katara could hear the snap of teeth as they closed around Ren's braid. "Look out!" she yelled. 

Ren was already moving. Her hand came up, bringing a flame. She singed through her hair, breaking free of Druk's grip before he could whip her about and break her neck. She hit the ground and rolled, smothering her sizzling hair in the dirt, and was up again just in time to take a full fire-blast from Druk. 

"No!" Zuko gasped. "She's trapped!" 

"Momma!" Sien cried, her shrill voice echoing off the cliffs. Katara tried to cover the little girl's eyes. Tried to look away herself. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why did she ever let Zuko convince her to come here?

"What the--" she heard Zuko gasp again. 

From within the orange fireball, a shimmer of purple flame erupted and swirled with the rest. The sight caught Druk off guard. He stepped back as the last of his flame twisted and curled into a huge purple fireball. Then, quick as a snuffed candle, the flames dispersed, revealing Ren at their center. Her hair was shorter and slightly singed, but she was alive. She snorted more purple flames from her nose. 

"That was rude," she scolded the dragon. Before Druk could react again, she lunged forward and caught him by the nostrils, actually caught him, and held on. Druk thrashed his tail and pawed the ground. But he didn't pull his head from her grip. Or maybe he couldn't? 

Aang had told her once about animals and pressure points. How triggering them released chi and had a calming effect. 

"Steady now," Ren crooned in the same sort of tone she used with her daughter. "Easy. I know it hurts... That's why I'm here. I came to help you. But first, you need to settle."

Druk's eyes were glazing over. He gave a halfhearted growl of protest as Ren raised a hand to stroke his cheek. 

"You don't scare me."

After a time, Druk let himself sink to the ground with a pained _fuff._ Ren released her grip on his nostrils, shifting instead to gentle strokes on the tip of his nose. 

"It's okay," she said, louder then necessary but still in the same reassuring tone. "He's calm now." And Katara realized she was talking to them.

\----

"You take it easy, Druk," Ren said as she stroked him. "This guy here will help you, all right? You'll be okay."

Druk made a low grumble, like he couldn't quite decide if he believed this crazy woman or not, but for the moment, he stayed still. 

"Sien," Ren said in the same soothing tone, "grab the bucket from our gear and go fetch our healer some water." She gave a slight nod to the side, but never broke her gaze with the dragon. 

Zuko watched her go, just now noticing a stream lay about fifty paces or so away.

"Not sure how close waterbenders need to be to a patient, and sure don't want to tell Druk to move." 

"Right," Zuko muttered, still trying to get over the shock of everything he had seen. "That color--How--" 

"You like that, huh?" Ren snorted again, exhaling small puff of purple. "I call it dragon fire. But we can talk about that later. Right now I need you to focus, understand?"

Zuko nodded slowly, trying to clear his mind and concentrate on the enormity of what he was about to do. Sien skipped down to the stream and filled the bucket, followed by Katara, who helped her to carry it when the girl clearly realized that her skinny four-year-old arms weren't going to do the job alone. 

Zuko swallowed hard. As Druk lay still, Zuko could hear how labored the dragon's breathing was. The creature was still in terrible pain, even if he wasn't showing it by lashing out like he had been a few moments ago. Then there was his size. Nothing like the massive forms of Ran and Shaw, of course, but if he had the mind and health to do it, he could no doubt carry both Katara and Zuko with little effort. As Zuko took a step closer, he saw Druk's thick muscles tensing under his scaled skin. Fear. Fear that the healing process was going to be as painful as the injury itself. 

"How do I even begin a healing like this?" Zuko whispered to Katara when she sat the bucket down beside him. "Where do I start?"

Katara wasn't quite as eager to step any closer, so she spoke to him from behind. Softly, so as not to scare Druk more. "It might take a few healing sessions to get it fully. But with Aang, I tried to focus on where the pain was most intense first. Where the injury was the worst."

"Good advice for healing someone who can talk to you," Zuko muttered back. "Suggestions for what I should do if I don't speak dragon?" 

Katara didn't reply. She didn't need to. She and Zuko both knew he had one method to tell where the injury was at its worst. He was just hoping he didn't have to use it. Bloodbending was difficult enough on his own body and he'd yet to try it for any length of time on a second person, let alone a dragon. Still, if it was the only solution... 

Zuko took another shaking step forward and knelt down on his knees. A decent amount of blood was still coming from Druk's left wing, dripping onto the ground. The injury lay on the underside of the wing, meaning Zuko still didn't have a great view of it. He lay on his back instead, positioning himself beneath the injury. _Well, at least it takes less bloodbending to lay down than to kneel._ He felt a little more energy in reserve now. He was probably going to need all of it and then some. 

"Lower your wing for me," he coaxed. Druk grunted in irritation, but did as requested. Zuko ran his fingers across the wing's edge and gripped it gently but firmly. Then, with a deep breath, he moved his other hand back and forth. Druk's blood obeyed. Instead of seeping out of the injury, it flowed through his veins and arteries without exiting. Then, near the edge of the gash, it began to solidify, closing some of the gap and easing Zuko's efforts to control the bleeding on his own. As Zuko focused more, he found he could sense the whole body of the dragon, not just the external injuries he could see, but the ones inside as well. They were painful, no doubt, and could be deadly if not treated. But they could be healed. 

"What's he doing?" he thought he heard Ren whispering. "Don't healers need water?"

Zuko winced. How could he have been so stupid? He tried to reassure himself with some slow, careful breathing. Katara had said that very few people knew bloodbending was even possible. Maybe Ren would just think that he had been using water, just not a large amount of it. But that idea was quickly shattered when he heard her ask in a horrified voice, "Are you... are you _bending his blood_?"

The dragon reacted instantly to the change in tone. Or maybe in her shock, Ren had stopped the nose-scratching thing for half a second. Whatever the reason, Druk yanked his head away from her and whipped around to roar at Zuko. He lashed out his uninjured wing, hitting Ren in the face and knocking her to the ground hard. She didn't move. 

"Momma!" Sien screamed. 

"No, stay over here!" Katara yelled. Even without a good view, Zuko could hear the two of them struggling, and the chaos only fueled Druk's panic. The dragon roared again, stomping his feet, barely missing Ren by inches. He seemed just as distressed at her unconsciousness as Sien was. 

_I have to know if she's hurt!_ Zuko tried to focus. If he could sense Druk's injuries, he should be able to sense Ren's the same way. He reached out his hand and focused on her limp figure. A picture came to his mind, vague at first. Making sense of it felt like trying to mold a solid shape out of smoke. But Zuko took it slowly, listened to the direction of her blood's flow, strained to key in on any irregularities. 

There were none. Zuko dropped his arm. He'd never imagined bloodbending could do all that. For the first time, Toph's claim that she could "see" ants walking a dozen paces away didn't seem so insane anymore. Not when he could do things like this. 

"She's not hurt!" he called out. "She'll come to in a moment!"

Sien's screaming stopped and turned to whimpers. Druk didn't exactly stop raging, but he at least paused, as if unsure what to do next. Zuko seized the opportunity. 

"Please, listen to me!" he begged, reaching his arm out towards the dragon. "I'm trying to help you. I'm the Firelord."

Zuko started to sit up, but Druk turned and pressed his large snout to Zuko's chest. Smoke poured from the creature's nostrils and stung Zuko's eyes. He stretched his hands out to where Druk could see them, all too aware that the dragon had him pinned and could kill him with a breath. 

Druk bore his teeth and gave a throaty growl. Strange; it sounded like a question. _Are you really the Firelord?_

Zuko found himself at a loss for words. Why had "Firelord" even come out of his mouth? "I'm a healer" would have been a more accurate statement and probably more reassuring. It wasn't like the Firelord had done much good for the dragons in the past hundred years. He was as lousy at making peace with dragons as he was when he tried to mend things with Aang. He figured at the very least, when dealing with a dragon, it was better to be honest.

"W-well, I-- I'm not sure what I am," he admitted. "But I can promise I'm here to help you. If you'll let me." 

Druk considered him a long while before finally giving a grunt like it wasn't quite the response he was looking for, but it was passable. He lay back down on the grass, hissing with pain a few times, and lifted up his wing. 

"You can lower it again," Zuko said. "I'm going to work on the internal injuries next."

The dragon complied, though his wing quivered quite a bit. 

Zuko had to focus. The internal bleeding had to stop first. He began to move both hands rhythmically across the dragon's body. Once he was sure he had the blood moving in the right direction, he had an uncomfortable realization. He couldn't spare some huge waterbending motions to call the water over here. The bleeding would just restart. He called out to Katara, keeping a calm but firm tone: "Bring the water closer. I need it now." She reacted instantly, or at least, he heard her grunting and tugging on the bucket. The sound was then followed by Sien grunting along with her. Finally, Zuko had the bucket practically shoved against his face, several droplets prickling his cheeks when they dripped over the edge. He grinned. "Perfect." 

With only a minimal motion required now, Zuko pulled the water from the bucket and focused all his energy on making it glow. He'd never wielded power like this before, at least, not since Sozin's comet. It felt like he was holding a massive weight on his arms and if he stopped the bending movements even for a second, the weight would collapse on him. 

_It's almost like the water is heavy with Druk's pain,_ he thought. Katara had never suggested anything like that, but as Zuko willed the cuts inside Druk's body to close, the water began to feel lighter, easier to manage. He continued moving. For some reason, breathing started to seem a bit difficult. He could feel lines of water running down his face--was the bucket dripping again? As he continued the healing, it felt like the edges of his vision were going dim. He vaguely heard Katara's voice calling out, "It's too much! You're going to hurt yourself again!"

Druk seemed to understand. The dragon gave a loud roar and stood up, stretching his mighty wings. _You've done enough,_ he almost seemed to say. _I will be all right._ Zuko smiled and finally let his arms drop. The water he'd been bending ceased to glow and fell overtop of him. With the light breeze blowing across his soaked face, it actually felt quite nice. 

Off to the side he heard movement and Ren's deep voice grumbling a few choice words probably not fit for Sien's ears. Then her tone changed to one of confusion and wonder. "What happened? Whad I miss?"

Sien jumped up and down, squealing with delight. "You did it! You made the 'druk better! You did it!"

 _Yeah,_ Zuko thought, smiling. _Yeah, I guess I did._

\----

A short time later, Katara, Zuko, and Ren were sitting around a campfire, drinking some tea that Ren had thrown together from the local vegetation. Zuko took slow, careful sips. It wasn't as good as Uncle Iroh's, but it was certainly nice. It seemed to re-energize him a bit, too. He was less dizzy now. Nearby, Sien was cuddled inside her sleeping furs. 

Ren shook her head as she fed a small log into the fire and gave some branches that hadn't caught yet an extra blast of flame. "Honestly, his majesty really needs to work on not killing himself when he heals somebody." 

Katara laughed. "I'll try to work with him on that." 

Zuko stared into his tea, still not feeling too thrilled that this woman knew who he was. Or, rather, knew who he used to be. Why was he so blasted good at remembering everything that was going wrong?

"We still haven't solved our biggest problem," he said. "The Firelord has to be a firebender. How am I supposed to stop Azula and take back the throne?"

Katara's cheerful expression quickly faded, but Ren shrugged like this was the easiest question in the world. 

"Why don't you ask Druk in the morning?"

"What? Ask the dragon if I'm supposed to be Firelord?"

"Who else would you ask? Some old geezer who's never even seen a dragon?"

Zuko had no answer to that and from his experience with Ren so far, it seemed best not to try to come up with one.


	12. Druk's Judgment

Zuko awoke at dawn the next day. He could see through the crack in the tent that the sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon. There were no other sounds around him. So, was he the first one awake?

Zuko shifted a bit, not wanting to wake anyone. It was strange; now that he had actually used his bloodbending the day before to sense Ren's injuries (or rather, her lack thereof), he found he could sense who was nearby even without turning to look at them. He was not, he quickly determined, the only one awake. Sien and Ren had already left the tent, it seemed. Katara was the only one still sleeping soundly behind him. He sat up carefully, trying not to disturb her. Then he noticed her breathing pattern shift a bit. He was wondering if should just lay still until she woke up when the tent flap flew open and Sien's face peered inside. 

"Hi, you two!" she announced loudly. "Time to wake up! 'Druk is waiting for you!"

Katara jolted up at the sound, hands up like she expected to waterbend someone. Zuko couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. Katara glanced down at her tensed hands and went red in the face. 

"What? I'm on edge! There's an army after you!" she said. 

Sien was laughing now, too. "Yeah, like an _army_ could take on 'druk!" she said. Then she stomped her foot and pointed accusingly at Zuko. "You get up right now," she demanded. "You don't keep important people waiting!"

He found Druk sunbathing in the center of the clearing, wings outstretched, head high. Ren sat cross-legged on a stray bolder nearby him, sketching away in her journal. 

"I'm just saying, you cut it awful close this time," Ren was mumbling aloud, which was creepy until he realized she was talking to Druk and not to some voice inside her head. "I know you like it here, but it just isn't safe anymore." She closed her book and fixed Druk with a serious stare. "You need to find a new home, Druk."

Druk turned up his nose, snorting a little indignant flame in Ren's direction. The burst of fire forced her to topple of her rock perch or risk getting her journal set on fire. Ren stood up in a fury. "Stubborn creature!" she yelled. "Can't you see I'm trying to protect you?"

She threw flame right back at him, much like a fellow dragon sibling would. Druk only had to tilt his head to avoid it.

Ren's fury only amplified when she noticed Zuko watching. She snapped her fingers in Zuko's direction. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him. Tell him he has to leave this place."

Why Ren would think he'd have better luck convincing a dragon to do anything, he didn't know. Wasn't Druk supposed to be the one with all the answers? Not the other way around? 

Zuko cleared his throat. "You should listen to her, Druk." 

Druk reared up, flaring his nostrils. _And who are you to tell me what I should do?_ He looked to Ren first, posing that very question to both of them with narrowed eyes. 

Ren crossed her arms defiantly, meeting his challenge. "I'm the one who helped save your life." 

Druk flicked out his forked tongue, seemingly satisfied. Next he turned his gaze on Zuko.

Zuko straightened. "And I'm the Firelord." 

Druk curled his lip. Dropping back to all fours, he leaned in close to snuff a plume of smoke right in Zuko's face. 

"He doesn't believe you," Ren informed him. 

Zuko felt shame and rage rise up in him. Standing there in Druk's looming shadow, he felt eleven years old again -- a boy trying desperately to prove himself to his father only to have all his effort and hard work sneered at. But he wasn't a boy anymore. He was a grown man. The man destined to help the Avatar bring peace and stability to the Fire Nation... and the rightful Firelord. 

He glared at Druk. "Then I'll just have to make him believe me." 

Druk roared. He spread his wings and launched himself up. Beckoning. Daring Zuko to make the next move. 

But what was that? 

Zuko's fingers twitched, one hand compelling his body forward while the other pulled a ribbon of water from the stream nearby. The water encircled him like a serpent, twisting and writhing around him with every subtle motion. He began to move. Bloodbending shifted his body into the Dancing Dragon. Only this time, as he executed the firebending movements, a spray of water leapt at his command, like bursts of liquid fire. 

Druk circled and darted above him, moving in time with him until the final move was executed. Then, with a force the shook the ground, Druk landed before Zuko and roared. 

Judgment time. 

Zuko let the water around him fall. Let himself surrender to Druk as he had before the Masters. Somewhere off in the distance he thought he heard Katara calling to him, telling him to run. 

_No,_ he decided. _No, I'm done running. From Druk. From Azula. From myself._

He opened his eyes wide and screamed right in Druk's face. "You hear me? I'm done running!" 

Druk lifted his huge head and roared right back. Odd, he didn't feel threatened this time. He felt invigorated. The dragon flicked out his tongue. Then, amazingly, he bowed. Actually bowed to him. 

Zuko glanced around, heart pounding in his ears and found Katara. She had one hand to her mouth, but her eyes were shining with happiness. Ren looked pleased, too. She took a step forward, bowed deeply, and raised her voice loud so it would carry off the cliffs. 

"Long live Firelord Zuko!"

"Firelord Zuko!" Sien mimicked, dipping even lower then her mom. Zuko felt the sting of tears, but didn't let them fall. 

Druk was still before him, bowing. Almost like he was waiting for something. Zuko had a hunch he knew what that was, and the thought sent a thrill through him. 

It took all his concentration, but Zuko managed to pull himself up onto Druk's neck and close his fists tight in the dragon's mane. His throat trembled as he spoke a command. 

"Fly."

Druk reared up beating his huge wings. Zuko felt his heart sink into his stomach as he saw the ground fall away. His head swam. 

_I'm riding a dragon. This is really happening._

He could hear cheering below. Katara and Sien were calling after him, Katara waving dramatically while Sien jumped up and down. Ren's deep voice echoed. "Way to go, your highness!"

Druk roared. Zuko had to concentrate hard to move with Druk's body as the dragon made a sharp turn and came back around. 

"We should land soon," Zuko told him. Not that he didn't enjoy the thrill of flying on dragonback. But he had important Firelord business to attend to, not the least of which was making sure his crazy sister didn't steal his throne. 

Druk descended, as he requested. Only, the dragon seemed to be moving too fast to land. 

"What--" Zuko stammered. Too late. Druk accelerated into a full dive, claws extended as he barreled towards Katara and the others. The three of them were already scattering for cover in separate directions. To Zuko's relief, Druk veered away from Katara and little Sien, who was shrieking wildly. 

When Ren made a dive for her daughter, however, Druk whipped back around and snagged up Ren mid-sprint. She wrenched about in his fist, cursing up a storm. Zuko managed a glance downward and found Ren's furious and terrified face glaring up at him. 

"What are you doing!" she hollered. 

_What am I doing? I'm holding on for dear life!_ "It's not me!" Zuko yelled back. There was fear in his voice too, he knew, unbefitting of a Firelord. But he didn't care. Because at that moment, he wasn't just the Firelord. He was a human being completely at the mercy of a dragon.

Druk beat his wings, surging upward parallel to the sheer cliff side until he came to the jagged tear of rock that was the entrance to his den. He slipped inside, zigging and zagging through narrow passages and around stalagmites. Then, suddenly, the tunnel opened into a vast chamber big enough to house a dozen Druks. 

At last, Druk slowed, beating his wings to a hover, then lowering himself to the stone floor. Zuko slid off his neck, landing with a muffled _oof_ right on his face. Ren was dropped beside him. When Zuko glanced over he saw she was pale and shaking but otherwise unharmed. 

Once Ren realized this she was up in an instant. She offered Zuko one elbow, helping him to his feet. In her other hand, she formed a flame, illuminating a portion of the cavern. 

_Why would Druk bring us here?_ Zuko wondered. Druk was making his way to a crater in the cavern floor. Zuko could see the outline of rocks inside, six at least. Druk circled the indentation twice then lay down, sniffing and probing the rocks with his nose. Zuko strained to see in the dim light. No, they were too smooth to be rocks. There was something more to them, something Zuko could just barely sense across the cavern. Six tiny heartbeats... 

Zuko took cautious steps into the dark, Ren on his heels. Her brisk steps revealed how much her Fire Nation temper was still racing with adrenalin. And Druk's sudden lack of interest in them only fueled her rage. "What in the name of flames' breath were you thinking, Druk? You could have killed us! Are you even listening?" 

He wasn't. And neither was Zuko anymore. His stare was fixed on Druk and the six oval eggs he now encircled. 

"Ren..." Zuko whispered, tapping her shoulder. She stopped mid-lecture to turn on him. 

_"What?"_

Zuko pointed, and Ren stilled, all signs of rage leaving her like snuffed candles.

Suddenly it all made sense. The reason Druk refused to leave the area despite the danger to his own life. Why he had waited until now, only after Zuko and Ren had proven themselves worthy of his trust, to reveal his secret. 

Zuko and Ren moved together, taking slow, cautious steps until they reached the rim of the nest. Then, following a permissive head-bow from Druk, Ren knelt and rested a palm on one of the eggs. Then her cheek. 

"They're going to hatch soon," Ren whispered. "Come listen." She invited Zuko to her side and he gently pressed his cheek to the opposite side of the egg. The shell was smooth and surprisingly warm against his skin. And he could hear small sounds inside. Zuko closed his eyes a moment, letting the world fade until there was only him and the muffled stirrings inside the shell. He could sense the tiny dragon heartbeat beating in time with his own. The heart of a true firebender.


	13. Dragonkeeper and Dragon Girl

"I still can't believe it," Katara marveled later after Zuko and Ren managed to convince Druk to give them a lift back down to camp. 

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it firsthand," Zuko admitted. 

"Does this mean... Druk's a daddy?" Sien asked, excitement in her eyes. 

"No, baby girl. He's still too young. These are probably his younger brothers and sisters," Ren corrected.

"Oh."

"Druk's a lucky dragon to have you on his side, Ren," Katara said. "Well, as long as he doesn't try to snatch you up by the hair again." 

Ren ran her fingers through her shortened hair, chuckling. "It's not the first time. And with six little ones on the way, I'm sure it won't be the last."

Zuko was quiet for a moment. He looked over to Druk who was resting nearby. Druk looked back and bobbed his head approvingly. He sucked in a breath. 

"Ren?" Zuko said. 

"Hm?" She looked up. Zuko stood, making his features go stern and professional. "Kneel." 

Ren raised an eyebrow and Zuko could see her natural suspicion clashing with her ingrained upbringing to obey the Firelord. "Your Firelord just gave you an order," he reminded. 

Ren knelt, dipping her head low. "As you command, milord." 

Zuko cleared his throat, trying to remember all the words. It had been a long while since he had witnessed this ceremony. Not since Uncle Iroh received his title as the Dragon of the West all those years ago. Granted this wasn't quite the same. But after everything she had done for him, Ren deserved his honest effort. 

"In the presence of these witnesses, and by the grace of a true firebending master," he indicated Druk, who had taken the role usually given to the head Fire Sage. "I, Firelord Zuko, son of Ozai, hereby decree the Lady Ren be awarded the title of Dragon Keeper in honor of her heroic feat of saving the dragon Druk and his kin." Zuko put emphasis on that last part, pleased with his own clever twist. Originally, the speech honored those who had _slain_ the dragon, not saved it. 

Ren was pleased too. She bowed lower, allowing Zuko to rest a palm on her head. 

"I am honored."

The reverie was broken when Sien squeaked with delight and asked in her adorable four-year-old voice. "Mr. Firelord, sir? Can I have a title too?"

Ren and Katara both chuckled, and Zuko smiled warmly. "Sure. What title would you like?"

Sien thought very hard for a moment. Then her little face bloomed into a grin. "Dragongirl!"

As with Ren, Zuko bid her to kneel and he touched her head with his hand. 

"I decree that Lady Sien be awarded the title Dragongirl." He stepped back. "You may both rise."

Ren and Sien stood. 

"Yay!" Sien cheered. "I'm a Dragongirl now!" She scampered off, throwing fire punches and mimicking a dragon's roar. 

Ren watched her go with warmth in her eyes. Then she looked back to Zuko. 

"You will not regret this, milord." Next she gave a respectable head-dip to Druk. "And I promise to take good care of the clutch while you're helping Lord Zuko take back the palace."

Druk made a soft noise, like he never had any doubt of this. Zuko, meanwhile, cocked his head. "Did you just say... you think Druk wants to come with me?"

Ren scratched her head giving him a look like, well, like he was completely clueless, actually. Though out of respect for her Firelord, she did not say as much. 

"I assumed that was your plan. No one at the palace would dare argue your claim to the throne if a dragon gave you his blessing, now would they?" 

"No," Zuko agreed. The notion sounded so simple, and yet a splinter of doubt still lingered in the back of his mind. Druk's support might very well get him back on the throne. But would it be enough to help him keep it? No matter how strong his inner fire was, technically he was still a waterbender. This wouldn't go over well with his people. To them, he'd be just another dictator who seized the throne by force. How could he possibly promote peace with that reputation looming over him? 

He couldn't. 

"Besides," Ren went on, "your girlfriend said it might take a few sessions to heal Druk completely, didn't she?"

Zuko blushed. "N-no. I mean, yes, she said that. But, no, she's not my--"

"So how are you supposed to heal him more if you run off without him?"

"I, uh--" Zuko faltered. "I hadn't really thought of that."

A loud grumble sounded, breaking Zuko's concentration. Katara blushed, rubbing a hand behind her head. "Sorry, that was me." 

To Zuko's embarrassment, his stomach answered her with a growl of it's own. 

Ren tossed back her head and roared with laughter. "Tell you what, you think about it while I get us something to eat."

\----

Katara watched uneasily as Ren walked away. It was great that Zuko had his confidence back and everything, but Katara almost felt like he had gone from caring too much about his bending to caring too little. If the entire palace staff thought he had turned traitor, how was walking back in and waterbending supposed to help? Would having a dragon in tow really make that much of a difference? It felt like they needed a more realistic approach. Or, at the very least, a back up plan.

 _I wonder if Aang's planning anything,_ she found herself thinking. _Or Sokka. Or Toph. I hope they're all okay._ She wondered for a moment if there was someway they could get their friends out and then attack Azula together. Maybe if they could take her out quickly, the sages would have no choice but to let the crown stay with Zuko. Or maybe...

"I've been thinking," Zuko said, startling her out of her thoughts. She glanced up from the fascinating piece of grass she'd been staring at to see that Ren and Sien weren't actually sitting with them and eating anymore. Instead, they were off in the distance, bidding farewell to Druk. Ren hoisted up her little girl, allowing her to stroke the dragon's nose. _To be with her father for a moment,_ Katara realized. 

Zuko coughed loudly and Katara turned her attention back to him. "Yes. Sorry. You were thinking..." 

Zuko glanced back at Sien and Ren like he needed to confirm they'd still be a while. He flexed his fingers, bending his body down as he lowered his voice. "When we get back to the palace. It might not be enough to have Druk confirm me as Firelord. I know it's my destiny. But the staff... the fire sages especially might expect some... other proof." 

"Other proof?" Katara asked, not at all liking the direction this conversation was taking. 

"Yes. Whether I agree with it or not, if the law says I have to be a firebender, then I... I need to prepare myself to submit to that." 

"Prepare to submit to..." She wanted to punch him. Zuko always got all distant and formal when he was planning something really moronic. "Are you saying you're going to tell Aang to switch our powers back?" 

"If I need to, yes." 

Yes, Katara decided, this was a definitely punch-in-the-face worthy suggestion. Of course, Ren might notice if she started slapping Zuko around, so for the moment at least, she kept her hands still. "What good would that do? You said yourself you can't make fire without the bloodbending to help you move." 

Zuko looked thoughtfully down at his hands. "The thing is, after dancing with Druk, I feel like I actually could. It still wouldn't be a lot, but it would prove I can firebend." He gave a small, forced laugh. "Who knows? Maybe with time, I might learn to do more. Iroh and Azula can use the breath of fire to create much bigger flames from their mouths than I can now. Maybe--"

Katara pounded her fists onto her knees. The smoldering embers from their breakfast cook fire flared up again. Ren looked over suspiciously, but let Sien continue playing with Druk and didn't approach. It took all of Katara's willpower to let her next words come out as mere hissed through her teeth and not as full-fledge screams. 

"Don't you get it? If you give up waterbending, you won't be able to--"

"What, Katara? Won't be able to feed myself? Won't be able to go anywhere without someone moving me there? Please, list a few more things I won't be able to do. I need some extra incentive to run off and leave the country in the hands of my psychotic sister."

Katara gritted her teeth. In truth, she wanted him to doubt. Wanted him to search for another way... any other way to establish himself on the throne. She wanted to feel like she had helped him, not like she was the instrument Azula had used to bring him down. 

Zuko's expression softened, but only a small bit. "Trust me, I'll work as hard as I can to turn public opinion in favor of changing the law. And when the majority of my citizens agree that one shouldn't have to be a firebender to be Firelord, our laws will reflect that. But I can't... I won't force my will on my people. They had enough of that under my father. And I don't want to hear anything else on the topic, all right?"

Katara stiffened. There was a boldness to Zuko's voice that hadn't been there for days. No, more than a boldness. A command. If he had ended his sentence with something more formal... an "Am I clear?" or a "Is that understood?", he would have sounded exactly like a general scolding an officer. 

_He sounds like the Firelord again,_ Katara thought, her heart heavier than she ever could have imagined. "Whatever you think is best," she whispered and left it at that.


	14. Return to the Palace

Azula lowered her head; her whole body twitching. Aang could see it even as he approached the doorway. He remembered Zuko saying that his sister was slipping, but he didn't realize just how bad it had gotten. 

"Where's the Avatar?" she demanded of the terrified servants around her. "I summoned him half a minute ago! He should be here by now!"

"I'm right here," Aang announced, stepping into the room. The relief on the servants' faces was anything but subtle. They quickly stepped back to let him approach Azula. Half a dozen palace guards flanked him on either side, of course, all wearing heavy armor in case he decided to try airbending at them. He'd gotten so used to them following him everywhere that he could mentally block out their existence. Well, almost. "I'm not your slave," he said to Azula. 

She grinned. "Oh, you're not, are you? Funny, I thought you wanted your girlfriend and that dirt girl to stay alive." 

"You haven't let me see Katara in three days!" Aang yelled. "You keep threatening that you'll kill her if I don't do what you say, but I don't even know if she's still alive!"

The words felt like acid in his throat as he said them. Every day that went by that he went along with Azula's plans, looking for someway to get in and free his friends, was another day that a seed of doubt grew in his mind. By now, with Azula's coronation less than a day away, he felt like his mind was half-consumed by it. 

"You're right," Azula said with a smile. "You don't know she's alive. But you'll keep obeying me because you're too scared of what'll happen if she is." 

Aang breathed deeply. There was truth to Azula's words. He'd been biding his time, but he knew what all the past Avatars had told him. If Azula did try to go through with her coronation, it was his duty to stop her. Even if it meant--

"What about Zuko?" Aang asked, trying to get his mind on something, _anything_ , else. "You haven't let me see him either."

"Demands, demands," Azula said, waving dismissively. "I let you see the Water Tribe boy yesterday. We even fed him and everything. Surely that lifted your spirits."

"Is Zuko alive?" Aang demanded. 

Azula straightened and narrowed her eyes at him. "My brother is somewhere that he will be sure not to bother me during my coronation. And if I hear one more word out of you about it, he and the rest of your friends are all dead. Are we clear, Avatar?"

Aang felt his heart sinking. "Yes." 

"Good," Azula said. "Now, go over the speech you're going to make tomorrow. I want to make sure there's not a word out of place." 

Aang bowed and began reciting the words she'd given him to say. Words about how the Firelord had to be a strong firebender. How her father was not fit for the position. How her brother had renounced his claim to the throne. And how the Avatar believed that she, and only she, could lead the nation into the new era that Zuko had promised. 

They were all words that Aang didn't stand behind for a second. Yet he'd said them so many times now, he could let his mind wander as he spoke. No matter what, no matter who it hurt, Azula had to be taken down tomorrow. That was his duty.

He had just reached the final paragraph of his recital when a chunk of flaming rock crashed into the floor right behind him.

\----

Breaking into the palace via the roof seemed like such a great idea when Zuko had first suggested it. Now Katara was having her doubts. The dragon certainly didn't seem to have any objections, though. He flapped his wings gleefully and smashed his powerful tail into the roof again and again, spraying debris everywhere. Katara and Zuko dismounted, then followed up with some well-placed water whips and fire blasts. The structure wasn't going down easily, and they were running out of time.

 _We'll have those crazy archers on us in a few seconds if we can't move faster,_ Katara thought. She hoped that the archers would at least hold their fire before shooting at the only dragon to be seen in decades. Then again, they were under Azula's control. They were capable of anything. 

Katara gave the most damaged section of roof another blast. Relief poured into her as she watched a singed beam crack, a hunk of rock spilling from underneath it. At last, they could see the inside of the building. The falling rock nearly hit Aang and several soldiers near him had to step away. Next to the group, Azula stared up with a blaze of mad fury in her face. She was a good distance away; the room they were breaking into was insanely tall, but that didn't make her any less terrifying. 

Katara gritted her teeth. They could continue smashing the roof, but it would only send down more debris. Maybe Aang was good at avoiding falling chunks of rocks, but the others, not so much. 

Then, as if it had heard her worried thoughts earlier, an arrow flew through the air, sliced through a lock of Katara's hair, and nicked Druk on his left wing. The dragon roared with fury. He rose up, away from the roof. 

From a section of roof nearby, a tattooed archer stood up into view, his arrow pointed straight at them. 

"Out of respect for the dragon, I gave a warning shot," he announced. "I won't miss again."

"We believe you!" Katara said quickly, holding up her hands in surrender. 

Zuko did the same. "Druk, stay back!" he said. 

Druk whimpered at the suggestion, but didn't seem to anxious about putting his bad wing in harm's way a second time. He pointed his snout towards the hole they had created and let out a questioning growl.

"No, Druk, it's too narrow!" Zuko called. "You can't get in there! Just get somewhere safe." 

Katara looked at the hole in the roof again and inched closer to it. Zuko was right; no way even the young dragon could fit in there. A couple of people, though? Very possible.

"If it's too narrow, then we jump," she whispered. 

Zuko's eyes widened. "Are you insane? It's too far! The fall will kill us!"

"Then you better get really good at bloodbending really fast, because I'm jumping." She lifted one foot over the gap, just to make clear that she was 100% serious on this. She glanced back to see the panic in Zuko eyes. 

"Katara, I don't think I'm that strong!" he hissed. "If I get it wrong, the bloodbending is going to hurt you worse than the fall would." 

"Quit moving around and stay still!" the archer ordered. "I'm warning you!"

Katara bent her knees, the wind whipping around her. She could still see the figures of Aang and Azula staring up at them. For now, the shock of seeing a dragon blasting a hole in the roof held Azula back from attacking. The effect wouldn't last long. "I'm jumping on three," she announced. "One..."

"Are you even listening to me? I said I can't--"

"Two..."

"You're insane, you know that? You're completely insane!"

"Three!" She jumped forward. Behind her, she could hear Zuko let out a furious yell. But from the corner of her eye, she could see the movement of his arms. He had jumped alongside her. And she felt a strange pull on her body, like an invisible hand lifting her up, stopping her from falling too fast. 

She wouldn't exactly say she floated to the ground. It was far less graceful than that. But she landed safely. And there was a certain satisfaction in seeing Azula's look of glee (when they jumped) transform to a look of bewilderment (when they landed without a scratch). 

Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived. Aang was flanked by six heavily armored guards who immediately drew daggers of fire. One of them shoved Aang backwards. Zuko leaned over gasping for breath, and Katara felt instantly guilty. She had pushed him too hard. After all that healing, she shouldn't have forced him to use that much bloodbending right away. 

"Katara!" she heard Aang exclaim, sounding on the verge of tears. "You're alive! You're okay!"

"Not for long!" Azula shouted. She readied a bolt of lightning, but Katara quickly countered with her own. The two bolts connected, creating a explosion every bit as loud as Druk's attack on the roof. The sound of dozens of approaching footsteps echoed in the hallway. But seeing Katara alive (had Azula said she was dead? She was seriously going to pay for that) seemed to give Aang a renewed energy he hadn't had seconds earlier. He blew a blast of air at the guards blocking his way. Nobody fell over, but one man stumbled, and Aang slipped in between the gap he left. 

"Stop right there!" Azula snapped. She aimed her next lightning bolt at Zuko's head. "Hmm, I wonder..." she mused. "If one bolt stops you from moving, maybe I'll get lucky and a second will stop you from breathing." She glared at Aang. "We had a deal, Avatar. It's like you _want_ to see your friends dead. I can give the order now, you know." 

Aang froze. Almost as if on instinct. She'd been using this tactic on him constantly, Katara realized. _I am so going to wipe that smug smile off her face,_ she promised herself. Unfortunately, she also found herself in the same position as Aang. Zuko seemed to have regained enough of his energy to try standing, but Azula stabbed her two readied fingers at the back of his neck. 

"Stay. Down," she warned. He stayed. By now the footsteps had reached the door and it burst open as a flood of guards, and several of the Fire Sages rushed into the room. 

"Your highness!" one of the guards yelled. "Sentries have spotted a... a dragon on the roof!" 

"That thing was... a dragon?" For a brief moment, Katara hoped Azula might be disoriented enough by the news to lose her guard of Zuko. She didn't. But there was a fierce determination in Zuko's eyes that hadn't been there a second ago. 

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "I brought a friend back with me." He flicked his wrists. It was a small movement; not enough for Azula to even take notice of. But Katara knew what it meant. Azula's hand flew backwards against her will. She let out a cry of surprise, and the guards all raised their weapons, though with no clue as where the attack had come from, they were lost on where to aim. 

"What... is this?" Azula said in scratchy whisper. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs, " _What in flames is this?"_

"It's called bloodbending." Zuko got to his feet now, hands in a much firmer bending stance. "You give the order to hurt Toph or Sokka, and it's the last order you give. Am I clear?"

Azula didn't seemed to hear him. She simply kept staring at him as if seeing a ghost. "You... weren't healed?" she gasped. 

Zuko gave no answer, but he hardly needed to. There was rage building in his eyes. Rage at the struggles and humiliation she'd put him through. Rage that all his worst pain came from his own family. "I said, am I clear?" he shouted. He pushed one hand forward, forcing Azula onto her knees. Her eyes widened with fear. Her breathing sped up, and there was almost a whine to it, like she could break down at any moment. _She's never truly feared for her life before,_ Katara realized. _But she does now._

Aang stepped forward. "Zuko, don't do it," he begged. "It's enough. You've won." 

"Kill the traitor!" someone in the crowd shouted. A line of flame headed for Zuko, and Katara quickly had to step in and disperse it. Aang got himself in a firebending stance as well, but it was all too clear from the look on his face that his heart wasn't in this fight. 

One of the Fire Sages in the group stepped forward, but rather than shouting, she wrung her hands in deep worry. "Please, Avatar," she said, locking eyes with Aang. "You must stop this. Stand down and we will let you go in peace. We have no quarrel with you." 

Aang lowered his hands by a fraction. "Stand down? Don't you people see? Azula is just going to drag your country into another war. The world will be filled with pain and suffering all over again." 

The sage shook her head sadly. "That may be true, but we follow the will of the rightful Firelord above all else. And if our Firelord wants war, we go to war." There were murmurs of agreement from those around her. Her expression hardened a bit. "It may be much different from the Air Nomad way of life, but as the Avatar, you have a duty to respect all cultures. If you force a traitor onto the throne, you go against everything the Avatar represents." 

Some of the murmurs now became shouts. Katara had a hard time hearing herself think. "But Zuko's not a traitor!" she cried. 

"Yes, I am, " Zuko said. Not shouting this time, but powerful enough to make himself heard over the building noise. The crowd of guards that had been ready to break into an all out brawl became strangely silent. Azula's rapid breathing became the only sound.

"Wait, you're agreeing with them?" Aang asked, voice quieter as if to match the quietness of the room. "What did you come here for, if not to take back the throne?"

"I still aim to take back the throne," Zuko said. He wasn't speaking to Aang, Katara noted, but to the crowd. To his people. "But not until I prove myself the rightful Firelord. If I fail, then I will personally hand the crown to Azula at the coronation tomorrow. No more violence. Our nation has had enough of that." 

He dropped his hands. Azula leaned forward onto the floor, holding her hand to her chest as her breathing finally slowed. Once again, a grin appeared on her face. "Should have known... you were making an empty threat..." she said. "You never had a heart for killing." 

"Trust me," Zuko replied. "You didn't want to test it." He gave a slight bow to the Fire Sage, then, strangely enough, to Azula. "Do my terms suit everyone?"

The crowd broke into scattered hushed conversation, but all eyes, including the Fire Sage's, fell to Azula. 

With her life no longer in immediate danger, she seemed to have regained some of her sanity. Her eyes darted around the room, calculating, planning. Katara could almost see her working out every angle in her mind. She could attempt to strike Zuko down, kill him and end the threat right here. But a part of her still feared him, feared this new power of his and what it could do. Another part of her feared the crowd. She still hadn't been crowned. She needed them to believe she was the rightful Firelord. She needed their support. 

"And how exactly are you going to prove yourself, Zuzu?" she said in a mocking voice as she smoothed out the sleeve of the Water Tribe outfit he still wore. "Going to fight me in an Agni Kai? Waterbending isn't allowed, you know." 

He smiled. Actually smiled. Maybe he was going just as insane as his sister. "First," he said calmly. "I'm going to beg everyone's forgiveness for becoming a waterbender. It was unfit for a Firelord. And I... I'm going to ask the Avatar to switch our powers back."

Aang's eyes widened in surprise, and Azula barked out a laugh. 

Zuko continued speaking, looking at Azula now. "Our ancestors consulted with the first firebenders to determine who the first Firelord should be. When the switch is complete, it seems only fitting that we ask a dragon which of us should rule." 

Far above them, Druk roared in approval at this suggestion, even as he kept trying to sneak a peek at everything through the hole in the roof. 

"If you actually have the nerve to do that," Azula sneered. "And _if_ the dragon confirms you as Firelord, then I'll gladly renounce any claim to the throne." 

"It... did fly him here," one of the guards pointed out. Azula sent a small bolt of lightning into the floor at his feet. He cried out and jumped back. 

"Obviously my brother used this... this _bloodbending_ to control the dragon," she said. "Once he doesn't have that ability anymore, I wouldn't be surprised if the dragon turns around and decides to have him for lunch." 

Druk grunted like this was the most disgusting idea he'd ever heard, but Azula didn't seem to notice. 

"Then let's not waste any time," Zuko said with a smile. "I believe the dragon is waiting for us outside."


	15. The True Firelord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fun news: if anyone is interested in reading my original work, I now have a collection available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dLI9vs As always, thanks for reading!

The crowd that met out on in the royal gardens was much larger than the one that had been inside the room. Everyone on the palace staff was watching, including about a dozen Fire Sages who stood in a line at the front. The Head Sage held the Fire Lord's crown in his hands; the woman who had called out to Aang appeared to be second in command, and she stood by the Head Sage's side. The garden featured a wide open field which allowed Druk to sit comfortably in the middle with Azula on one side of him and Zuko on the other. Azula was standing with her arms wide, as if to make a show of just how brilliant she was at standing, while Zuko had a high-backed chair brought out for him. He sat fidgeting with his hands, not quite sure how to position them before deciding to simply fold them in his lap. At least he'd changed out of the Water Tribe gear now. His hair was done up in a topknot, ready to receive the crown once again. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to relax. 

_I am the rightful Firelord. I'm only going to prove to everyone else what I already know._

He heard the crowd of witnesses whispering among themselves and opened his eyes to see that Aang and Katara were already standing next to him. He smiled at each of them. Aang smiled back, but Katara leaned in close. 

"Just to make sure..." she whispered. "You really want to do this? I mean, there's no secret alternate plan you haven't told me about or anything?" 

He suppressed a laugh. "No, I'm afraid this is all I've got. Thank you, Katara." 

"For what?" She furrowed her eyebrows, almost looking irritated at him for saying something so confusing. "I can't think of one thing I did worth thanking me for."

He shrugged. "You kept me going. I think that's more than enough." 

The doubt on her face hardly left, but at least she realized she'd been leaning over him long enough that it was starting to look awkward. She straightened again and stepped in front of him, with Aang in between them. The Avatar reached out, putting his left hand on Zuko's forehead and his right on Katara's. 

"I need both of you to be calm," he said. "When the energy starts to shift, you need to let it flow without resisting. Otherwise--"

"I'm not resisting," Katara asserted. No one answered her. Zuko had a feeling that it was him Aang was worried about, not Katara. Yet she acted like the one who had more to lose here. It was almost like by taking back her bloodbending, she was admitting some kind of failure. He wished he could show her that it wasn't her bending that had saved him. It was her support and her friendship. He'd never been that great with words. But maybe, when this was all over, he'd find a way to explain it that made sense to her. Maybe even tell her that a part of him wished their friendship was something more.

At that moment, Zuko felt Aang's fingers growing hot. The Avatar opened his eyes, a blaze of white light, and his arrow tattoos emitted the same glow. Whatever hesitation or guilt Katara might have felt, she let it go as she promised, closing her eyes and letting Aang pull the firebending from her body. At the same time, Zuko could feel his waterbending abilities fade. His tense muscles slackened as the bloodbending left him. His awareness of the bodies standing around him became blurred. Yet at the same time, an old and familiar sensation filled him. He remembered dancing alongside Ran and Shaw, the flaming cyclone of beautiful colors. His fire had returned. And he couldn't help but smile. 

Across the field, Azula looked... for lack of a better word, completely unhinged. "It's a trick..." she said. "You didn't really switch back. It's an Avatar trick!"

Katara responded by snapping a water whip in her general direction. It didn't get anywhere near her and Druk blew a puff of smoke as if the display annoyed him. Azula yelped as if she'd been bitten by a rabid fox-monkey. 

"Restrain her!" she snapped, pointing at Katara. A group of guards rushed up to Katara, one of them pulling her hands behind her back while another bent to tie her legs together. 

"Hey!" Zuko yelled. On instinct, he tried to use bloodbending to jump up and run to her defense. Only his body didn't respond. He gritted his teeth in frustration, while Aang turned on Azula. 

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Azula laughed. "You think I don't see what you're up to, Avatar? Oh, that was clever, very clever to actually give back Zuzu's firebending. But I'm not letting that water peasant manipulate the dragon. She's staying still as a statue until this is over." Two more figures stepped up to Katara now, and Zuko realized they were Dai Li agents. Each one bent a chunk of earth around one of Katara's hands, then they fused the chunks together, making sure Katara couldn't so much as twitch a muscle in her hands. 

"It's fine," she said firmly. "I'm fine." 

Rage built inside Zuko. It was not at all fine. This wasn't the plan they'd agreed to. But he couldn't cause a scene here. Azula was already teetering on the edge of insanity. If he let himself slip too, then what? He was here to show he could control himself better than that. 

_Save it for the breath of fire,_ he reminded himself. The air he exhaled from his nostrils stung with a smoky heat. 

The female Fire Sage glanced hesitantly between the two royal siblings, but stepped forward nonetheless. She bowed to Zuko first, then Azula. "Lady Azula," she said, extending her hand. "Would you please display your firebending for us?" 

Azula was all too happy to do so. She shot a quick barrage of blue fire blasts into the air, coupled with a spinning kick that sent out a circle of flame. It extended to Druk's feet before it faded, and several people in the audience had to step back to avoid being singed. Finally, with an extra-wide grin, Azula sent bolt after bolt of lightning into the sky. Its white hot glow reflected off the walls of the palace as if the whole place was trapped in a storm cloud. Finally satisfied with her performance, Azula yanked her hands back and the lightning stopped. She panted with the effort, but the maniacal grin never left her face. 

"Okay... Zuzu..." she said through short breaths. "Looks like... it's your turn." 

The Fire Sage extended a hand to Zuko to indicate he should begin. Zuko pressed his lips together feeling genuinely afraid for the first time since he'd made his challenge. Druk had hardly turned away from Azula's display. The dragon had actually cocked his head curiously as lightning had lit up the sky. What if he changed his mind and rejected Zuko after all?

 _No, I can't think like that,_ Zuko reminded himself. There were too many people counting on him to give up now. Besides, this display wasn't a contest. Not directly, anyway. He didn't have to upstage Azula, couldn't no matter how much he wanted it, and it was going to end badly for him if he tried. He inhaled deeply and breathed out again, recalling the first time Iroh had taught him about the breath of fire. They'd been hiking up a mountain, Zuko still on his hunt for the Avatar, his scar fresh enough that he still turned his face when he knew people were looking at it. Azula had never felt cold like he had felt on that mountain. The fire hadn't been a weapon then. It'd been heat and life. Zuko smiled, merging these happy memories with the memories of all the dragon's beautiful colors of fire. He could do this. 

Once more, he drew a long deep breath, then blew out a blast of fire. The flames were bigger than he ever expected. And there was not only orange fire, but hints of green and flecks of purple, too. His face felt warm and the taste of smoke lingered on his tongue. He felt like a dragon. 

"Um... that was..." the Fire Sage stuttered. She didn't get to say much else. Druk gave a fantastic roar and walked over to Zuko's side. He circled the chair several times, like he was thinking of making a nest there and finally laid down with his body circling the chair's legs. His long, lean muzzle reached up and nudged against Zuko's cheek before he put his head down to relax on his crossed arms. 

"This... this is impossible!" Azula yelled. "It's another trick! You can't possibly pick Zuko over me!" She ran towards the dragon in a jagged, uncoordinated motion. Druk lifted his head and snuffed a warning plume of smoke in her direction. She stopped and coughed, waving it off. 

"You're just like Mother!" she shrieked. "Why would you take a weakling like him? Are you afraid of me, is that it? Am I too strong for you, you stupid beast?"

Druk narrowed his eyes. Done with warnings, he stood up and lowered his head. He charged at her, his head colliding with her side and threw her up into the air. She screamed and just barely managed to use a fire blast to stop herself from face-planting in the garden grass. 

"I think we've seen enough!" the Head Sage announced. He walked up to Zuko and lifted the crown above his head. "Long live Firelord Zuko!" 

The phrase echoed throughout the crowd. The entire group of them bowed low. The soldiers who had restrained Katara backed away as Aang broke her hands out of the stone bonds. Then she and Aang joined in with the applause of the crowd. Azula collapsed into a heap, crying and moaning, but this time, no one turned to listen to her.

\----

The next few days were far from easy for Zuko. Katara could read it all over his face. For one thing, he ultimately had to have Azula restrained and sent to an asylum. He told Katara that giving the order felt like cutting his hand open. Azula was his family. His father was imprisoned, his mother was who knew where... it felt like he should have been able to do something to save his sister. But until he could do that, he had to at least keep for safe. For now, that meant keeping her safe from herself. 

As far as Katara could tell, that conversation had been the most honest talk he'd had with her since re-taking the throne. And it drove her insane. 

Today was no different. It was late evening, and Zuko had been having meetings with mayors and chiefs and waves knew who else without even so much as a syllable being gruff or short. It was a huge act, and Katara knew it, but she had no clue what to do about it. 

"Hey there," a voice said from behind her. 

Katara yelped. She'd hadn't even noticed anyone standing nearby, let alone anyone walking up to her. "Mai?" she said when she whirled around to see who had spoken. "What are you doing here?" 

Mai turned her nose up in disgust. "Seriously? You think just because Zuko and I aren't dating that I don't care about him anymore?" 

"No, no," Katara said, desperately holding up her hands in defense, "I just thought... I'm sorry." 

Mai sighed. She was hugging herself, watching Zuko from afar as he chatted up the various dignitaries. There was a pained looked to her eyes, but Katara didn't immediately think it came from any romance woes. "Listen," Mai said quietly. "Does Zuko talk to you? I mean, really talk?"

"Huh?" Katara blushed. "Well, yeah, we talk to each other, but--"

"Don't beat around the bush with me. It's annoying." Mai nodded towards a quieter corner of the room, where they would be out of earshot. "Listen," she said. "I've met with Zuko twice since the group of you took down Azula. He talks to me just like he does all those idiots from the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe."

"Oh, really?" Katara said, crossing her arms so that her Water Tribe necklace looked even more prominent than it usually did. "And how does he talk to 'those idiots'?"

A look of pain flooded Mai's face. "Like nothing is wrong." 

Katara felt instantly uncomfortable. "I don't see why I would be any different," she said. "I mean, if anything he's worse with that around me. He knows how guilty I feel about not being able to heal him." 

"Then snap out of it and stop being so selfish." 

"Selfish?" Okay, this conversation had left Katara officially confused. She'd given it her all trying to heal Zuko. It ate away at her that she'd failed him. How in the cold, icy tundra did that make her selfish?

"Selfishness doesn't mean you don't care about others," Mai said. "It means you think too much of yourself. Right now you're thinking how much you want to be this great hero for Zuko. You're not, and you're upset about it. You're not thinking about what he really needs right now." 

Katara had had enough of this. Things around here were frustrating enough as it was without Mai rubbing all of Katara's raw emotions right in her face. "Okay, then, if you're so insightful, tell me what he needs right now." 

She kept the snark level high, but in truth, she mentally begged Mai to give her an honest answer. Because she could tell as well as anyone that Zuko was putting up walls. And because she feared that if someone didn't break those walls down soon, they'd be up for the rest of his life. 

"He needs someone he can be honest with," Mai said. "Someone he can cry in front of." 

Katara's hands tightened into fists. Of course, she wanted Zuko to be honest with her, but she also wanted to give him his space. If this conversation was just going to be her and Mai exchanging statements of the obvious, she might as well walk away from it right now. 

"You know," said Mai. "He wanted so much to hide everything from me. Tried a bunch of different excuses to get me to walk with him during the coronation without actually telling me what was wrong." 

"Oh." Katara wasn't sure what to reply. _"That's rough"?_ It sounded moronic. Thankfully, Mai kept talking without any more prompting from Katara. 

"To be honest, when my uncle got me out of prison, I was thinking of getting back together with him. I knew that everything he'd done, he'd done out of his love of the Fire Nation. And even if he was an idiot for leaving me with a note..."

"He broke up with you with a note?" Katara said. 

Mai rolled her eyes. "He's not the brightest spark when it comes to romance, all right? The point was, I was ready to forgive all that. But then he kept trying to keep his secrets from me again. And I knew then it wasn't going to work. He loved his secrets more than me." 

The silence between them was painful. Katara could start to hear some of the dignitaries talking, even though they were far down the hall. 

"So... how did you get him to explain?" Katara asked. "About the bloodbending, I mean?"

To this, Mai smiled. "Trust me, there's ways of getting Zuko to talk. And right now, I'm just about desperate enough to give you some pointers." 

Katara nodded, fully aware of how much it had to hurt Mai to be talking to her. Even so, she'd take all the advice she could get.


	16. This is Normal

There was a knock at the door while Zuko was eating. He'd been taking all his meals in a private room, and he'd made it perfectly clear that he wanted no one else in said room except whichever servant happened to be assisting him. So the knock, short of being some kind of dire Fire Nation emergency, was pretty rude, if not outright disobedient. 

His servant put down the bowl of soup she'd been holding and bowed as she went to check the door. Zuko could hear an exchange of quiet voices before he recognized Katara's: "Well, tell him I'm planting myself out here, and I'm not leaving until he lets me in." 

The servant said something in reply, her words unclear, but her tone worried. Once again, Katara's words blasted above her. "Tell him he did it to me first. Heck, he waited outside my tent all night once. How's it feel now?"

The servant spluttered some words that were probably on the lines of, "There is no way I'm repeating that." Zuko shook his head in frustration. 

"Let her in," he called out to her. The servant's tense stance visibly relaxed. She walked up to him and bowed again. 

"Do you still want--"

"I'll eat later," he told her. Not happily. He'd been chatting so much with all the representatives from the other nations, he'd already pushed off his usual dinnertime by about three hours. If he kept up this nonsense, he was going to faint in the middle of a meeting. Hopefully, though, he could deal with whatever Katara wanted quickly. 

"Check back in with me in ten minutes," he said to the servant. 

She bowed again and started to walk over to open the door, only to see that Katara had already invited herself in. The servant looked extremely annoyed, but picked up the tray of food and left without expressing it. Katara eyed the tray as it moved past her. 

"You didn't eat much."

"You came in here to tell me that?"

"No," she said, shutting the door behind her. She took a slow, deep breath. That couldn't be a good sign. "I came in here to tell you that... that, quite honestly, I'm sick of you hiding from me." Any hope Zuko had for this being a short conversation flew out the window. 

"Hiding? How am I hiding?" He had been, of course, but he played the stupid card all the same. It had annoyed Mai enough to make her leave, at any rate.

Katara rolled her eyes. "You're acting like you're not even a little bit upset about what's happened. Like everything is perfectly normal. Well, I hate to point out the elephant-koi in the room, but it's not." 

Zuko's jaw tensed. What _was_ it with girls and spilling emotions? "This is normal for me now, Katara. And I'm okay with that. I wish you would be, too." 

"I'd be okay with it if it wasn't so obvious you're still upset!"

She was yelling at him now. Actually yelling. He didn't get it. How did trying to keep the peace around this place get her so mad at him? "What exactly do you want me to say?" he snapped. "You want me to cry into your shoulder? Wail about how awful I've got it? I've spent my whole life trying to be happy, and it never worked. Let me hold onto what happiness I've got without acting like it's a crime or something."

She didn't yell back at him. Instead, she lowered her head. Flames, was she crying now? He thought being screamed at was bad, but making her cry when he wasn't even sure how he'd done it felt even worse. 

"Why?" she said, her voice cracking. "Why are you trying to act like everything is perfect in front of me?" 

His face blazed with frustration. He almost wished she'd start yelling again. At least then he knew how to defend himself. So he said the first thing that came into his head, the thing he'd been hiding from everyone since Azula's defeat. "Gee, I don't know, Katara! Maybe I don't want to sound like a blubbering idiot in front of a girl I like!" 

She gasped and jerked her head up, face crimson. Zuko probably looked about the same. 

"I... you..." she stuttered. "Since when did..."

"I don't know," he said quickly. "I mean, I think I knew early on, but then..." He shook his head. "I wanted to tell you. A bunch of times. But I didn't want it to be when you were taking care of me. And that... turned out to be a lot. Then, Ren was always there. And Druk, and--" 

"You know it would never work, right?"

He gritted his teeth. Couldn't she at least let him finish his confession before she shot him down? What was all that stuff about being honest with her? He hung his head and stared at his hands, too humiliated to keep looking her in the face.

"I... understand," he said. "I mean, that makes sense." 

"What? No, no no no." Katara waved her hands frantically. "I didn't mean it wouldn't work because of _that_. I only meant... because you're the Firelord and I'm-- arg, why am I so bad at this?"

She held the sides of her head as if fighting off a migraine. Then she sat down in the chair next to Zuko that the servant had been using right before she entered. 

"Look," she said, softer now, lowering her hands and looking him in the eye. "I'm not... I don't _hate_ you or anything. But I'm confused. Everything's changed so fast. First you were an enemy. Then an ally. Then a friend." 

"And what am I now?"

He shouldn't have pressed her; he could read all over her face. But did she want him to back off because she had no answer or because she knew he wouldn't like the answer he heard?

"You're... someone very dear to me," she finally said. "But that's just the problem. I care about you, and I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Hurt me?" Zuko's one eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "Hurt me how?" 

Katara smiled sadly at him, like his inability to read her thoughts was naïve and adorable. "It was my waterbending that almost lost you the throne. It was me that failed to heal you. And it was because of me that Azula hurt you in the first place." 

"It was because of Azula that I got hurt in the first place," he said sharply. 

"Say it that way if you want. There's no way us being together will help you, Zuko," she said. "Do you need it to be official? If you're asking me out, I'm saying no. Does that make things better?" 

"No," he answered instantly. She straightened in surprise at that, but he didn't regret it. There was something about her that he trusted, like he could open up about anything. What was it Ren had said? _"Sometimes you can't help who you love, even if you know it isn't right."_

"No," he repeated. "It doesn't make things better. But I'm glad I at least know why." He forced a smile. "I'll keep trying to convince you you're wrong, you know."

She shrugged him off, murmuring something under her breath. When she spoke loud enough for him to hear clearly, all she said was, "Feel free to try." 

Zuko stared intently into her now-blue eyes, suddenly realizing that their faces were suspiciously close, could be even closer if he stretched his neck out a bit. His lips felt dry; he was afraid to breathe, like she was a dragon-firefly that the slightest sound could scare away forever. 

Then his perfect silence was broken by the sound of the door reopening. "Firelord, are you--" came the servant's voice. Katara jerked backwards. Way too hard. The chair she was sitting in tipped and went down on the ground with a huge crash. Katara let out a small yelp as she spilled out and onto the floor. The servant stared dumbfounded with the dinner tray in her hands while Katara scrambled to her feet. She dusted herself and looked at Zuko, stuttering over her words as she hoisted the chair back into an upright position. 

"Yes, well... I... these chairs appear to be quite capable of falling without breaking," she said. She even patted the chair's back as if to reassure it. "Yup, sturdy chairs you have you, Firelord Zuko."

"Oh, um... yes. Thank you for testing the chairs for me, Katara. I appreciate that."

"No problem at all. I mean, back in the Water Tribe, I was a renowned chair-tester." 

The two of them both stared at the servant at the same time, trying to gauge just how little she believed them. 

"Should I..." the servant tentatively held up the dinner tray, "...come back later?"

"Yes," Zuko said. 

"No," Katara said at the same time. 

The servant glanced back and forth and seemed inclined to obey her Firelord over a young lady from the Water Tribe, but Zuko called out to her. 

"Actually, just leave it here," he said, then glanced at Katara. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"I um..." Katara fingered her hair. She looked ready to say no, but her growling stomach proclaimed otherwise. "No, actually, I haven't."

Zuko smiled warmly and nodded at the servant girl. "Could you bring us another tray of food, please? I mean," he looked back at Katara, "if you'll consent to having dinner with me?"

She smiled back at him. "I'd love that. Thank you." 

Zuko returned the smile and for the first time since Aang had taken the bloodbending from him, he felt like he had no barriers. What's more, even with the barriers gone, he felt genuine happiness, rather than a face he put on for the world. Maybe he couldn't be with Katara right now like he wanted to. Maybe all her "I don't want to hurt you" talk was a load of garbage, and her heart belonged to someone else. She still wanted to spend time with him. For right now, that was enough.

\----

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph stayed in the palace for a few more days. Zuko enjoyed the company, and he was quite happy that the amount of meetings he needed to attend died down a little bit each day. He still had to set up a meeting with Earth King Kuei sometime soon to discuss the removal of the Fire Nation colonies from Earth Kingdom territory. But the man insisted that the Firelord come see him and not the other way around. Something about "nerves getting to him" outside of the palace. Zuko had wanted to send back a very snarky reply, but on Katara's advice, he had managed to refrain. 

Right now it was early evening; Zuko still found himself strangely aware of when the moon was coming out, and he was sitting by an open window enjoying the breeze on his face. His chair sat perpendicular to the window, giving him a decent view of the outside, while still keeping the rest of the room within eyesight. Katara had come in to join him, not so much because he'd requested it, but because she knew it gave him a break from the servants fussing over him. 

She smiled contently as they watched the wind whipping waves across the ponds in the palace gardens. Zuko had about a million things he wanted to say to her. What she meant to him. How she'd helped heal him, even if it wasn't in the way she wanted. He didn't get too much time to express his thoughts, though. Someone gave three short knocks on the door before opening it up. "Hey, your majesty!" 

Zuko craned his neck to see Aang waving some sort of paper in the air. "A letter came in on one of your messenger hawks. From..." he narrowed his eyes at the seal, "Someone named Rin? Rand?" 

"Ren," Zuko corrected. "What's it say?"

In true airbender form, Aang walked up, sat cross-legged on the windowsill (it was three finger-widths wide at best), and broke open the scroll. 

"'Congratulations on resuming your place as Firelord,'" he began reading, "'Or, y'know, not losing it in the first place. You'll be happy to know that Druk has arrived back safely and I plan to take full advantage of the generous space you set aside for the dragon preserve. I'm sure Druk will be excited to rejoin you once he's had some time to help me foster the new eggs.'" 

Katara actually smiled at this, Zuko noted, a welcome relief from the dour expression she'd had on her face the past couple weeks. Who did she think she was, anyway? Him or something? 

"'Take care of yourself and remember, don't be a moron and forget yourself again,'" Aang finished reading. "'P.S. Sien says hi.'"

Zuko smiled. "Thanks, Aang. If you put it on the desk in my study, I'll have someone write up a reply tomorrow." 

"No problem, Sifu Hotman," Aang said, rolling the scroll back up. 

"And _please_ stop calling me that." 

"Oops. Point taken." Aang rubbed the back of his head and started to leave, but Katara reached out to him. 

"Aang, hang on a second." 

He turned and looked at her curiously. "What's up?"

"Well," said Katara, rubbing her arm, "now that we're all in the same room together, there's been something I want to talk about."

 _Something she wants to talk about?_ Zuko would've sworn he could hear his heart pounding. Why would Katara suddenly want to talk to both him and Aang at the same time? Unless she--

"It's about my waterbending," she said. 

Zuko felt more than a little disappointed at that answer, but at least kept his face impassive. 

"There's something... off about it," Katara said. "It's hard to explain. But the bloodbending feels like..." She placed her hands on her heart. "Like something foreign now. Like there's a tightness in my chest that shouldn't be there. I'm worried that the exchange went wrong or something." 

A look of concern passed over Aang's face. "You think the energybending hurt you?"

"I don't know... I just..." She locked eyes with Zuko. "Do you understand what I'm talking about?" 

Strangely enough, he did. Not quite the same way she had expressed it, but when he focused on certain aspects of his firebending, they did feel a bit strange. Not the dragonfire; that felt as natural as regular breathing. But the lightning...

"I think I follow you," he said. "Maybe not in the same way. But you managed to learn lightning generation with my powers. And I can sense that if I could get the movements right, I could easily create lightning, too. But whenever I think about it, it's like there's this ache in the back of my head." He shook his head slowly. "I guess I chalked it up to all the stress I've been under lately." 

Aang nodded, at least a bit of the worry easing out of his face. "So... Zuko advanced bloodbending way beyond what you were able to do with it, and now that part of your waterbending feels strange to you." 

Katara nodded. "Yeah."

"And you," Aang said, pointing to Zuko, "Katara learned lightning generation while she had your powers. And now that part of your bending feels strange to you."

"Uh-huh, I think that's pretty much what we're saying," Zuko said, unsure where this conversation was leading. "So, what? You don't think it's anything to worry about?"

"I think it's better than something to worry about," Aang said excitedly. "I think I just came up with a way to help you, Zuko. Katara, stand next to him." 

Katara looked down at her feet and Zuko tried to think of a polite way to point out that she pretty much was standing next to him already. Aang rubbed the back of his neck again. "Right. You are. Never mind. Okay, both of you close your eyes and relax." He reached out both hands towards their foreheads, but Zuko leaned his head away. 

"Whoa, whoa. What are you trying, now?"

"I'm going to try energybending again," Aang said. "But I think I might be able to only do a partial switch." 

"A... partial switch?" Katara asked. 

Aang nodded eagerly. "Exactly. I felt it when I was switching your powers the second time. There was part of your energy that wanted to stay with Zuko." He turned. "And Zuko, there was a part of your energy that wanted to stay with Katara. I completed the switch anyway, but I don't think I had to." 

They both stared at him blankly and he waved his hands in the air as if that was proof of his sanity. It was sort of the opposite. "I know it sounds crazy," Aang said. "But please let me try." 

Zuko exchanged some nervous glances with Katara. He couldn't deny how dangerous the energybending was and didn't particularly want to think about what would happen if it went wrong. What would happen to the Fire Nation if he got hurt? _And what would I do if Katara got hurt?_

Still, he'd trusted Aang with his life so many times now. He had to trust him one more time. He nodded his approval, Katara did the same, and both of them closed their eyes.


	17. Faded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it... the last chapter. Thanks for sticking with us and if you'd like to read the sequel, Hidden Powers, you can find the first chapter by viewing our other works. Thanks again! -Rowan & Katrina

Funny, Zuko assumed after having his bending switched around twice now, the third time the sensation wouldn't be nearly so strange. It was still pretty unsettling. But this time around, it was also comforting. The strange presence of the lightning he had been clawing at the back of his brain suddenly left him, and it was replaced with a familiar force. In an instant, Zuko became aware of Katara and Aang standing next to him, could sense their breathing, their heartbeats. And he could sense his own as well. 

"So?" Aang asked anxiously once he'd pulled himself back from the Avatar state. "Did it work?" 

Zuko and Katara both stared at each other, each of them too nervous to be the one to try out their powers first. It was Katara who finally caved. She motioned and pulled some water from the skin at her side, swirling it into same pretty-looking shapes before returning it to its place. Then she took a deep breath and pointed two fingers towards the ceiling. Sparks of light danced along her fingertips and she directed a small bolt of lightning out the open window. 

Zuko grinned, feeling more confident now. He could sense all the muscles in his body, just as he could when he was a full waterbender, and now he had the experience to know how to use them. With considerable focus, he motioned with his fingers, causing one shaking hand to rise. He held it open to create a small flame. 

"Incredible," Katara breathed, her voice cracking a bit. "You're doing it, Zuko! What about walking? Can you walk?" 

As if that hadn't been the first thought on his mind. Zuko extinguished the flame and flexed his fingers, turning his concentration to the muscles in his legs. He gripped the chair's arms and slowly stood up, feeling like he was yanking a heavy weight out of quicksand. But he was succeeding. He started to put one foot forward, but quickly realized it was a bit too much. He stumbled forward, right into Katara's arms. 

"Sorry," he said, cheeks blazing. "I guess a week of not practicing messed me up. I'll get back into it in a few days, I'm sure." He straightened up, still unsteady on his feet, and Katara held his hand as he sat back in his chair again. 

"Right," she said, and he could have sworn her cheeks looked just as red as his felt. "I'm sure you will. But it's... it's amazing, isn't it? We're the first two people besides the Avatar who've been able to bend more than one element." 

_So what? That means some part of me is a waterbender again?_

The thrill that had filled Zuko a few seconds ago was quickly starting to fade. "Okay, I hate to be the pessimist here--"

"What are you talking about?" Aang asked. "You're always the pessimist. I think it's part of your Fire Nation royal duties for something." 

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying I'm unhappy that you did this. Aang, I'm thrilled." He broke into a smile, quite without meaning to. "But how exactly do I explain this to the palace staff? Are they going to think I'm betraying them again?"

"Maybe you don't have to tell them what really happened," Katara said. "Maybe we can say you got healed somehow." 

"What? When none of you could heal me before? Don't you think that will sound a bit strange?"

It would, and they all knew it. He could see it on their faces. But he could also see that Aang didn't give into pessimism as easily as he did. 

"Well, you could say you had a little extra help. Maybe some special healing water that you didn't have before." 

"Katara told me the Spirit Oasis water wouldn't work," Zuko said. "That I've been injured too long." 

"Yeah, but no one else knows that." Aang shrugged. "Look, all I'm saying is that officially you do have some representatives from the Northern Water Tribe here for peace talks. They could officially bring you a gift that could _officially_ be water from the Spirit Oasis."

Zuko stared, jaw slack at Aang for a few silent moments. "I can't believe the high-and-mighty Avatar Aang is suggesting I lie." 

"It's... been a weird week," Aang allowed. 

Zuko would give him that. It wasn't the ideal solution. But he'd seen how much the concept of bloodbending had terrified Azula. Maybe it was something the world just wasn't ready for yet. 

"I'll arrange something," Katara said. "You can make one of your official Firelord-y announcements tomorrow." 

For a moment, she just stood and stared at him, her expression unreadable. She was happy, he could tell that much. But she might have been ready to cry or jump up and down yelling like a toddler for all he knew. Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck. Zuko gasped. His fingers twitched, and slowly and carefully, he brought his arms around her and returned the embrace.

"What's... this about?" he asked, fully aware of the fact that Aang was still in the room. 

"Nothing," she said, pressing her face against his. "Just that I'm happy for you." She pulled away, and Zuko observed that yes, her face was wet with tears. It wasn't anything for her to be embarrassed about, though. His face was just the same.

\----

_Eleven years later (111 AG)_

Zuko walked slowly down the narrow streets of Republic City, though "city" was a fairly generous term. A collection of buildings that he and Kuei had drawn an arbitrary line around felt like a better description. Every street had multiple names, and people often huddled together in their own little groups, despite the diversity of the city as a whole. Even so, the place breathed with potential, with hope for an amazing future. It was crazy how much could change in just a little over a decade. For first time since they'd become friends, Zuko felt like he had a tiny glimpse of what missing a hundred years of history must have felt like to Aang. 

Most of the changes were good, of course. The founding of a new government, built in a space of land that housed peoples from every nation. The peace of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe citizens seeing the Fire Nation as an ally, not a threat. And of course, the re-birth of the Air Nation. But that was the part that held bittersweet tones for Zuko. 

He wasn't quite sure how it had happened; how Katara had slipped so far away from him. He'd made honest efforts to stay in touch with her, and for years, she'd reciprocated just fine. Flames, even after his numerous attempts to ask her out, she still at least _talked_ to him. Always the same answer to his question, of course. That their being together would endanger his position on the throne. She had only managed to push him away when she'd announced that she and Aang were a couple now. Soon after that, Mai had suggested getting back together. The timing was almost eerie. If Zuko didn't know any better, he would have said the girls had plotted the whole thing behind his back. 

_So our lives went in different directions,_ he thought. _That's no reason for Katara to suddenly cut off contact with me._ It had happened about a year ago, not long after Aang and Katara's wedding, in fact. Zuko wracked his brain trying to think of something he had said or done that had offended her. Aang had assured him that he'd done nothing of the sort, but hadn't invited him over, either. 

_Maybe the death of Hakoda is still weighing on her._ Zuko stopped in front of Republic City Hall and sighed. The great symbol of everything he and Aang had helped build. And now here he was trying to interfere with the diplomatic process he'd fought so hard for. 

_It's for Izumi,_ he reminded himself. And with that, he pushed the heavy doors open and walked inside. He found his way to the council room easily enough. Impressively, of all the people there, only Katara looked shocked to see him. 

"Good evening, fellow councilmen. I assume you were all informed of my arrival?" Zuko said as he entered the large meeting room. He was met mostly with polite nods from the rest of the United Republic Council. 

Katara got over her shock and narrowed her eyes. She looked like she'd aged a decade since he last saw her. "And why isn't our regular representative from the Fire Nation here?"

"I seem to recall that as the ruler of the Fire Nation, I have the authority to reassign who's representing it here." He took a seat in the vacant chair and folded his hands, emanating calm. It couldn't appear to the rest of the council that he had made this move out of emotion. No matter how true that was. "Now, you'll be happy to know that I've already fully reviewed the law up for vote today." 

"Then, if you don't mind," the acolyte representing the Air Temple said, "please, summarize it in front of us." 

Zuko smiled, not out of kindness, but out of amusement. He'd read that law so many times the past few nights, he could recite it. Katara probably guessed as much too, but she sat back and said nothing, waiting for his summary. Zuko cleared his throat. 

"Very well. The proposal is that any citizens under the authority of this council found to be bloodbending, either themselves or others--"

"Why would someone bloodbend himself?" the Earth Kingdom representative cut in.

Zuko had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "I'm quite sure I don't know, councilman. I'm simply stating that the wording of this proposal outlaws the act of bloodbending itself, with no specifications as to who is the bloodbender's target." 

The Earth Kingdom representative conceded this and Zuko continued, "--should be immediately arrested and sentenced to a minimum of thirty years in prison." It took everything in him to keep his voice calm on those last words. "So then, has the council discussed all the possible ramifications of this law in its current form?"

"We have," Katara said, nearly cutting him off. "It would put a number of well-known criminals in prison. Including the man who killed my father." 

_Hakoda was murdered?_ Zuko felt his blood run cold. _It can't be. Is that why she wrote this law?_

"Please forgive my prying," the Earth Kingdom representative said. "But I thought your father was killed in a fishing accident." 

For the first time since the meeting had begun, Sokka spoke up. His voice was quiet, and Zuko was surprised at how steady he was able to keep it. "We have reason to believe foul play was involved. But if, as we suspect, the bloodbender controlled our father into making a careless move on that boat... well, there's not much we can do to prove our theory." 

Zuko gritted his teeth. So this was it. The piece of information he'd been missing. Of course she'd stopped talking to him. She knew he would try to argue her out of this ridiculous law. He might have been able to even now, if he could get her alone. But now, with all these people around, he was helpless. 

He had to move forward with care. Professionalism. He was the Firelord, and he would still do what he came here for. "The death of your father is certainly tragic," Zuko said. "You and your sister," he nodded in Katara's direction, "have nothing but my deepest sympathies. But, if I may offer to the council, murder is already quite illegal. This villain could be prosecuted under our current law just as--" 

Katara stood up and pounded the table. "Bloodbending is what allowed it to look like an accident. Bloodbending is what let him get away!"

The harshness of her voice snapped something inside him. Everything he'd planned to say instantly faded from his mind. "And you'll let your anger blind you to what you're about to do here! Have you considered that this law not only places no limits on the bloodbender's target, but also on his or her age?" He narrowed his eyes. She had to get it. Had to understand what was at stake here, even without him spelling it out. "You would seriously put a child who used bloodbending behind bars until they're middle-aged? How does that honor your father, Katara?"

For a moment, the meeting room was covered in a deathly silence. No one moved. The air acolyte cleared his throat. "I think perhaps we should take a short recess before we vote," he said. "We certainly have a lot to think about." He looked to the other representatives for approval. Sokka nodded, as did the Earth Kingdom representative. They both exited quickly, probably anxious to get out of the tense room and into the fresh air. The acolyte, however, hesitated before leaving. 

"I notice your hands twitch quite a bit," he said to Zuko. "Every time you move, it seems. Are you all right?"

"Just fine," Zuko replied. "It's a nervous habit I picked up some time ago. I certainly hope it doesn't offend you."

The acolyte shook his head and finally, he too walked out the door. No one remained in the silent empty room but himself and Katara. 

"So..." she said quietly. "It's been a while." 

_And whose fault is that?_ "It has," he agreed. 

Katara shifted her feet. "How is everything going with the dragon preserve? I heard good things about--"

"Ren's doing a brilliant job. Sends me updates now and again. Pictures of the dragons. Or Sien." He wanted to say so much more. Not the least of which was, _why is someone I only met once keeping in better contact with me than you?_ But none of that would help heal things.

"I'm sorry I yelled," he finally said. "That was out of place." 

She nodded. Probably as much of an admission that she was also in the wrong as he would get right now. "What do you want?" she asked. 

_Where do I start?_ "I want a lot of things, Katara. I want to know why you stopped talking to me for a year. Why you lied to me about what happened to your father." His throat tightened, struggling to imagine all the pain she must have felt the past twelve months. His fingers flexed as he used bloodbending to lift his hand towards her. She jerked away.

"You know why," she said.

He was about to answer then no, he obviously didn't have a clue why, or he wouldn't have been asking her. Then she watched her eyes fall to his hands. He moved his fingers, releasing the bending's grip and letting his arm drop to his side. Katara shuddered at the sight. 

"It... bothers you, doesn't it?" he said quietly. "Watching me bloodbend reminds you of him?"

She nodded, pressing a hand over her lips, closing her eyes as she willed herself not to let any tears fall. For a brief moment, Zuko felt pity for her. But then that pity turned to anger. 

"So, what? Now I should be thrown in jail for three decades because someone else used bloodbending to hurt your family?"

"Zuko, stop it!" she scoffed, as if he was the only one being dramatic here. "You know perfectly well I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Then strike this stupid law down." He held his wrists out as if expecting her to bind them. "Or arrest me right now for the heinous crime of walking across the room." 

Katara glanced around. They were still alone, and he'd used the word "bloodbending" several times already. If someone was listening in, they would have reacted long before now. "You've hidden that secret for years," Katara said in a hushed tone. "And everyone's seen you firebend countless times. No one could possibly suspect you of being a bloodbender too."

 _It's not me I'm worried about._ Zuko bit his lip. She hadn't picked up on his hint earlier. Time to try the direct approach. 

"Katara," he said, his voice just as quiet as hers. "My daughter can bloodbend. She inherited it from me." 

Her eyes widened at first, then immediately narrowed. "You're lying. Izumi's four years old."

"I'm not lying. I'm telling you, she's done it. To the servants, to her mother." He clenched his fists. "She can't do it to me, though goodness knows she's tried." Katara's expression became more and more hardened, her sympathy more and more faded as he went on. Zuko tried desperately to backtrack. "Look, she doesn't mean anything by it. I don't even think she does it consciously. She just... she wants someone to do something, and instead of trying to grab them by the arm or the leg like any normal child would do, she bloodbends."

Katara's voice came out stiff and quiet. "Full moon only?"

"For now, yes." 

He didn't like the hardened look on Katara's face. Still, he held out hope. She had to understand. If Aang had not switched their powers, it could be one of her children going through this. Surely she could see how dangerous this law was, how many people it could hurt. 

"Zuko," she said, genuine sympathy to her voice. "I'm so sorry. The last thing I wanted was for my bending to hurt your family again. But you're not thinking clearly. If you're telling me the truth, Izumi is dangerous. She could really hurt you--"

Zuko raised his eyebrow. 

"Fine, she couldn't hurt _you._ But what happens when Mai tries to discipline her? What happens if Bumi comes to visit and steals a toy from her? What happens when she gets angry at _them_?" 

Zuko's throat tightened. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go. Katara was just supposed to see that he was right and let the matter drop. Her making a convincing counterargument hadn't factored into his plans. 

"The law might need some work, I admit," Katara went on. "But you can't pretend that Izumi can be around normal people with a power like that. It's asking for a disaster." She placed a hand on his shoulder, voice even lower now. "Come back to Air Temple Island. Maybe Aang can help her--"

"Make her a nonbender, you mean?" Zuko yanked his shoulder out of her grip. 

Katara looked insulted. "Well, yes. What's wrong with that? Sokka is a nonbender. So is Suki. So is--"

"Do you know how many assassination attempts there have been on me, Katara?"

She opened her mouth and stuttered a bit, clearly not expecting him to take the conversation in that direction. "I don't know," she finally said, looking uncomfortable. "What's that got to do with it?"

"There's been fifteen. Do you know how I've avoided most of them?" 

Katara rolled her eyes. "I _guess_ you're going to tell me that it's with that... whatever you call it."

"Bloodsensing. And, yes, it's saved my life many times. Someday Izumi's abilities might save her." His throat tightened. The thought of anyone trying to hurt his little girl always made it hard to breathe, but as the Firelord, he had to be aware of the possibility. Surely Katara could see that. "You're a parent, too. If you knew, _knew_ for a fact that someone wanted to hurt Bumi, wouldn't you want him to be armed with whatever he could use to defend himself?"

She didn't answer. Whether because she was too frustrated or too proud, he couldn't say. So he kept pushing her. "Arrest people for real crimes, Katara. If someone hurts or steals or kills using bloodbending, then by all means, prosecute them. But don't drag innocents into--"

"Bloodbending violates a person's free will," Katara snapped back. "It's a crime in every sense of the word." She turned her back on him. "Or at least, it will be after I vote today. Don't say I didn't offer my help." 

"Fine then!" Zuko yelled. Anger and disappointment filled his thoughts, barely letting him think straight. Let Katara do what she wanted. His family came before her. He would help his daughter learn to control herself. He would keep her and himself out of the public eye as much as possible. He would make it work. "My only defense is to keep my family as far from Republic City as possible," he said, his voice just as cold as hers. "Consider the Fire Nation your ally in name only."

Katara didn't answer. He hadn't expected her to, at this point. Not when she'd already made her position so perfectly clear. The old relationship he'd known with Katara had faded away. But somewhere, something in him hoped that the tension between them would fade, too. Maybe, some day, they could be friends again.


End file.
